Old Posters

Old Posters 

Old Posters 

Old Posters 

Though born in Czechoslovakia, Alfons Maria Mucha (1860-1939), lived in Paris from 1888 and began his posterwork in 1894. By great fortune his first commission was for Sarah Bernhardt who wanted a poster of herself as Gismonda whom she was playing at the Theatre de la Renaissance. Mucha's work is characterized by his use of pastel shades and tints and the air of unreality of his characters. Mucha has been said to have epitomized elements of the French Art Nouveau movement.

Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872-1898) established his early reputa­tion by illustrating Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and Oscar Wilde's Salome. His posters were extremely popular in his day and it is generally acknowledged that his poster designed for the Avenue Theatre in 1894 significantly influenced the subsequent development of the art in England. It has been said that Beardsley was not overly skilled in his use of colour, though this may have benefited his outstanding use of silhouettes and heavy shapes.

Much of Dudley Hardy's work (1865-1922) was with the theatre poster. He was influenced by both Cheret and Lautrec, but along with Beardsley and the Beggarstaffs, he set the standard for future English posterwork. He was probably the first to introduce the colour poster into Britain with his 'Yellow Girl'.

Old Posters 

The work of Beardsley reached the United States in late 1893 and his popularity there soon knew no bounds. In 1894 a poster craze swept America as a result of his work. In the winter of 1894, Will Bradley's first posters appeared. His poster for The Masquerades by Henry Arthur Jones at the Empire Theatre in New York are the first signed theatrical posters by an American lithographer.

As Japonisme turned into Art Nouveau, the poster came of age. It had become a totally decorative artistic medium, brightly coloured, often garish, rich in pattern and sensuous drawing and universally applicable. The object being advertised, or the message to be broadcast, almost ceased to matter, the same decorative approach being applied freely to bicycles, cigarettes, theatres, cooking oil, sewing machines and politics. Posters had now achieved the status of works of art and so were able to outlive the ephemeral quality of actual advertising.

Old Posters 

This pattern continued until the First World War. Because the war was fought at first by volunteers, the poster became an important means of encouraging recruitment and returned to its original role as the bearer of messages, slogans and information. However, the artistic aspects were not forgotten and all sides engaged in the conflict made extensive use of powerful propaganda posters, many of which were remarkably similar.

After the war the gradual economic recovery inspired a return to con­ventional advertising, but this time the designers had to consider the marketing demands of the product. Despite this, many designers of the 1920s and 1930s are very remarkable, reflecting contemporary develop­ments in art. Particularly memorable are the abstract designs of McKnight Kauffer and the modernist transport posters of the French­man Cassandre.

Old Posters 

Since the 19th century impact of Japonisme, posters have always been closely allied to contemporary art movements. Leading avant-garde artists have often become poster designers, and so throughout this cen­tury posters have tended to mirror their period very precisely. While most examples can be dated by the product and their style of advertising, the relationship with art can be a more accurate guide. This is still true today, although more recently posters have fallen into groups deter­mined by their subject matter. War, politics, protest, pop, as well as conventional advertising, all impose their own language and symbols, many of which are now international. These can limit decorative freedom in a way that 19th century designers would have found quite unaccept­able. Despite this, the relationship between art and poster design con­tinues to expand, especially in America, where contemporary artists have been quick to see the value of the poster in spreading their own message or style. A poster for national distribution is far more effective than a number of gallery shows.

Old Posters 

It is probably this element, plus the obvious decorative and ephemeral qualities, that make poster collecting so appealing today. The continuing impact of the poster, regardless of its period, and its value as a living memorial to a past age has made it hard to collect. Originals by any of the great names will be as expensive as paintings, even though the quantity produced at the time may have been considerable, and so most collectors will have to content themselves with reproductions.

Old Posters 

However, it is a field where luck and perseverence can produce the most unexpected results. Many old posters have turned up unrecognized on market stalls, or framed into the backing for pictures. There is also such a wide choice of subject matter. The obvious themes, such as war or transport, will always be in demand, but it is not hard to find less popular areas for study.