Posters

Popartuk Knowledge Base

What is a Poster?

A poster is a large piece of printed paper, which is designed to be attached to a vertical surface, such as a wall. Typically posters include both text and graphics, although some posters may only contain one of these elements. Posters are designed to be eye catching and to communicate information.

History of Posters

The history of posters can be traced as far back as the 15th century, where artisans hand-crafted each and every one. Although this was a slow and painstaking process, this ushered in a new era of advertising and providing news and announcements. Information was mostly distributed by town criers, who would walk around the streets announcing orders and proclamations from the King or the Church. In 1539, the poster began to slowly replace these town criers.

Lithography

Lithography was invented in 1798, but was at first too expensive and slow for poster production. Most posters were either woodblocks or metal engravings, with almost no colour or design. However, this all changed with Jules Cheret’s “three stone lithographic process”. This was a breakthrough which allowed artists to produce every colour in the spectrum, using only 3 stones.

This process was difficult, but the result was of incredible quality, with intense colours and textures. This new ability to blend word and graphics together in such an attractive and economic way made the lithograph poster a powerful innovation. Beginning in the 1870s in Paris, it became the most important means of mass communication in cities in Europe and America, which were fast growing. The streets of Paris, Berlin and Milan were transformed into “the art gallery of the street”.

Posters during the Belle Époque

During the Belle Époque (or "beautiful era", which was a period in France's history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I.), the posters celebrated the society’s unique culture and style. In France, the café and alcoholic products such as absinthe were greatly present. In Italy there was fashion and the opera. In Spain, bullfighting and festivals were dominant in the posters.

Collectors Today

Many people now collect posters, with many famous and rare posters acquiring a high value price tag, such as original movie posters or vintage artwork. Lots of collectors are willing to pay, and have paid, large amounts of money to obtain these posters.