Fisher was born in Brooklyn, New York City[1][2] and began to draw at an early age.

[1] In 1898, he moved back to New York and began his career as a newspaper and magazine illustrator,[2] working for the San Francisco Call and the San Francisco Examiner, drawing sketches and decorative work.

[1] He became known particularly for his drawings of women, which won him acclaim as the successor of Charles Dana Gibson.

[2][3] Together with fellow artists Howard Chandler Christy and Neysa McMein, he constituted the Motion Picture Classic magazine's, "Fame and Fortune" contest jury of 1921/1922, who discovered the It-girl, Clara Bow.

[4] Fisher's work appeared regularly on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine from the early 1900s until his death.