Vintage Posters 101

If you're planning to start a vintage poster collection, it's wise to know some things about posters, its kind and its history. Posters are not just papers with fantastic drawings on them. A poster has a story of its own. It's always good to understand why vintage posters are collected by many people.

It was in the late 1800s that people started really noticing posters. This is because various printing techniques were developed during this period. Stone lithography was first used for mass production of posters. After this, chromolithography was developed and there evolved a more vivid and colorful posters. As posters grow in popularity, several other printing techniques were used for cheaper and faster production. Examples of these techniques are photo offset and silkscreen.

Poster art became an accepted art form during the 1890s. 2 of the most famous poster artists of this period are Jules Cheret and Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec. Jules Cheret built a lithography office during this time and eventually became known as the father of placard advertisement. Because of its popularity in Europe, Paris became a street of art exhibitions and displays.

Some of the most influential poster artist in the late 1800s and early 1900s are the following:

• Jules Cheret
• Henri De Toulouse- Lautrec
• Alphonse Mucha
• Eugene Grasset

Some of these artists introduced Art Nouveau to the public.

Kinds of Posters

The development of different printing techniques and the surge of many poster artists made posters available for different uses. Some of the most popular types of posters are the following.

Propaganda Posters
Political messages and concepts are introduced to the public through political posters. Many groups have turned to poster production to increase people's awareness on various issues in the government. The Soviet Union for example, made so many productions, that their posters became great representations of the Patriotic war. Up until now, posters are being used to send messages to the public. Politicians and civic leaders use posters to communicate their platforms and plans for their country.

Advertising Posters
Posters are also used for publicity of events and various products. Comic book posters are very expensive because there are only limited productions of these posters. Concert posters of different bands and music artists are also expensive because once an event is done there would not be additional production of these posters.

Movie Posters
Aside from political posters, movie posters are also a popular collection among vintage poster fans. The lithography poster of Frankenstein, a movie produced in 1931, is highly valued because it has been said that there is only one copy of it.

Cheesecake Posters
Cheesecake posters are popularly known as pin-ups. These posters commonly feature beautiful women and have erratic concepts.

Affirmation Posters
Affirmation posters feature positive messages. Some of the most popular messages used on these types of posters are about leadership and hope. Affirmation posters are created to motivate people.

There are many types of posters that you can collect. There are no rules for collecting posters. You can collect vintage posters according to the kind of printing technique used, the time posters are made or according to its kind. The important thing to remember when collecting posters is to know how to discern a fake vintage from a genuine vintage poster.