Boston Sunday Herald February 24th 1895

Ethel Reed created this poster for The Boston Sunday Herald, showcasing the emerging artistic style of the late 19th century. Note the stylized flowers behind the woman, they are an emblem of beauty and transience, reminiscent of vanitas paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. In ancient Greece, poppies were associated with sleep and oblivion, often depicted in connection with the god Hypnos. Over time, they became symbols of remembrance, appearing on war memorials and in literature to evoke the fallen. In Reed’s work, the poppies frame the reader, perhaps suggesting a dreamy escape into the world of the newspaper, a symbolic journey to the land of dreams. Consider how such motifs resonate across cultures and epochs, each time carrying echoes of their past, transformed by the present. The power of such symbols lies in their ability to tap into our collective memory, engaging us on a subconscious level, stirring emotions and associations that transcend time.