Original Antique Posters: Celebrating 100+ Years of Poster Design

Posters have been the broad disseminator of ideas and images that have reflected social and cultural changes over the course of history. Given their ease of display on walls and high visibility, posters deliver their messages to the masses in the most effective way. The discovery of colour lithography in the late 1700s/early 1800s was one of the major developments that changed poster design. This technology needed an artist who understood the intricacies of colour balance to develop the poster as an art form: Jules Cheret (1836-1932) was able to combine his artistic talent with his knowledge of lithography and is widely regarded as the father of poster art.

Cheret ingeniously combined modern British printing press machines with a clean-cut approach to colours used in traditional Japanese woodblocks to print more cost effective posters that were bolder and boasted clear and well defined images. A number of notable artists, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), followed his example in experimenting with new printing technologies and, by the late 1800s, posters were transformed into a recognisable art form and quickly became collector’s items.

Poster enthusiasts would venture out at night with damp sponges to remove the latest artwork by Cheret or Toulouse-Lautrec from the walls. Poster exhibitions were held practically every year that further revealed the beauty of this new emerging art form to the public and influenced both advertisers and artists.

Being very topical, posters evoke the styles of the era and have very often survived as the best examples of art movements such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Constructivism. To celebrate over 100 years of poster design, here is our current collection of original antique posters dating from the 1890s to mid-1910s:

  
   
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Visit our website at www.antikbar.co.uk to browse all our original vintage posters from around the world – cinema, travel, advertising, sport, war, propaganda. For more updates, follow us on:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AntikBar
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AntikBar
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AntikBar.co.uk

AntikBar is a Member of the International Vintage Poster Dealers’ Association (IVPDA), the London Art Deco Society (LADS) and The Association of Art and Antiques Dealers (LAPADA).

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Top Tips On Looking After Your Original Vintage Posters

  We’re often asked about the best ways to look after, store and display posters. Here are our “Top Tips” in a nutshell:

  Storage – Unlike many antique and vintage items, posters are relatively easy to store. Just bear in mind that the paper used for many old posters can be quite sensitive and fragile. It’s important to keep your posters away from humidity, heat, moisture, dust and light. We recommend storing them flat in drawers or on shelves, or rolled up in hard and sturdy tubes. Do not use tape or elastic bands directly on the poster when rolled or write on the posters (even on the reverse). Lie the tubes flat so the sides of the poster don’t get frayed or damaged by it moving around inside. Make sure you keep the posters off the floor level in a cool and dry place, away from any threat of flooding or dampness.

  Framing – As with any artwork, avoid hanging your poster in direct sunlight. Even if you use UV resistant glass, the sun will fade the colours over time. Bathrooms and other damp areas should also be avoided as the moisture will ruin the paper. Make sure your framer doesn’t use tape, glue or any non-acid-free substances on or near your poster. Dry mounting should also be avoided (a process of gluing the poster to a mounting board using heat and pressure, which will undermine the value of your poster). The style and colour of the frame you choose is entirely aesthetic. We tend to opt for non-reflective acrylic rather than glass, which is lighter and less likely to break, with simple black frames to allow our posters to convey their messages without any distraction.

  Tape – Never ever use tape. Even if you use tape on the reverse, it can still stain through to the front. Tape is also notoriously hard to remove without further damaging the paper.

  Restoration – Linen backing and restoring your poster will improve its condition and strength, help prolong its life and ensure its value is maintained. Minor restoration will smooth out creases and folds and acid-free linen backing will ensure your poster is preserved and protected for the long-term. Badly damaged posters may need further restoration work to deal with staining, paper loss, holes, colour fading etc. Make sure you choose a reputable, professional poster restorer to avoid any further damage being made to your poster, which will then require further costly repair work. Bear in mind that many posters do not need to be linen backed or restored; for example, new posters or old posters that have been kept in as-new, mint condition.

  Note: After many years of being a collector and having some of our posters linen backed and restored, we have teamed up with Poster Mountain in California. Poster Mountain prides itself on being the world’s premier original vintage poster and fine art conservation and restoration studio and, in turn, we are proud to offer their services to our clients. Please click here for more information (including a link to Poster Mountain’s YouTube video).

  Tips on Packing Posters – Visit our YouTube channel for tips on how to best pack poster to ensure their safety in transport, and ease of opening on arrival.

Please contact us if you have any queries or would like any further information. Visit our website at www.antikbar.co.uk to browse all our original vintage posters and, for more updates, follow us on:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AntikBar
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AntikBar
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AntikBar.co.uk

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AntikBar is a Member of the International Vintage Poster Dealers’ Association (IVPDA), the London Art Deco Society (LADS) and The Association of Art and Antiques Dealers (LAPADA).

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