University of California, Berkeley Archives
Frank Macoy “Mac” Harshberger (1900 – 1975) was born in Tacoma. He studied in Paris in the early 1920s, before moving to NYC in 1925 where he taught for many years at the Pratt Institute.
He worked in many styles and media in his career, but his more striking images are his stylish black and white illustrations, sort of an American equivalent to Aubrey Beardsley.
Harshberger is best known for his elegant, simplified shapes and economy of line. He was one of the first graphic artists to write about the need to respect the flatness of the picture plane in developing design. His success helped popularize the sophisticated Art Deco style in the USA.
He was a prodigious designer and artist. His drawings and designs are including in the collections at National Gallery of Art, The San Francisco Legion of Honor, and the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami. A book was published about his art: An Elegance of Line- the Graphic Work of Mac Harshberger by William Whitney.
“Portrait of Holland” circa 1926
