Maxfield Parrish designed numerous posters advertising "Scribner’s Fiction," an American periodical that published news and stories from 1887 to 1939. Such popular magazines, including Harper’s Weekly and Collier’s, were made possible by the 19th-century development of lithography—a printing method which made reproducing text and image easier and cheaper than before. The technique completely transformed the arts of illustration and advertising and allowed Parrish, who was also a prolific painter, to move seamlessly between commercial and fine arts. The poster is made from layers of dark browns and greens on white paper, giving the effect of bright sky glowing through dense foliage. In this romantic and fantastical scene, a nude woman sits alone under a tree reading, perhaps a nod to the ability of literature to transport the reader beyond reality.