Wikipedia

Poster

For other uses, seePoster (disambiguation).
"Placard" redirects here; this should not be confused withPlaqueorPlack (disambiguation).

Aposteris a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration.[1][2][3]Typically, posters include bothtextualandgraphicelements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be used for many purposes. They are a frequent tool of advertisers (particularly of events, musicians, and films),propagandists,protestors,and other groups trying to communicate a message. Posters are also used for reproductions of artwork, particularly famous works, and are generally low-cost compared to the original artwork. The modern poster, as we know it, however, dates back to the 1840s and 1850s when theprintingindustry perfected colourlithographyand mademass productionpossible.[4]

Poster for the Holzer Fashion Store, 1902
Police can sometimes put up a poster to let the public know about a criminal.

History

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"Moulin Rouge - La Goulue"
Toulouse-Lautrec,1891
Lithographposter forRanch 10,aWestern-themedplayby Harry Meredith that opened inNew York Cityin August 1882

Introduction

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According to the French historianMax Gallo,"for over two hundred years, posters have been displayed in public places all over the world. Visually striking, they have been designed to attract the attention of passers-by, making us aware of a political viewpoint, enticing us to attend specific events, or encouraging us to purchase a particular product or service."[5]The modern poster, as we know it, however, dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, when several separate, but related, changes took place. First, theprintingindustry perfected colourlithographyand mademass productionof large and inexpensive images possible. Second, government censorship of public spaces in countries such as France was lifted. And finally, advertisers began to market mass-produced consumer goods to a growing populace in urban areas.[6]

"In little more than a hundred years", writes poster expert John Barnicoat, "it has come to be recognized as a vital art form, attracting artists at every level, from painters such asToulouse-LautrecandMuchato theatrical and commercial designers. "[7]They have ranged in styles fromArt Nouveau,Symbolism,Cubism,andArt Decoto the more formalBauhausand the often incoherenthippieposters of the 1960s.

Mass production

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The Queen of Chinatown by Joseph Jarrow, Broadway poster, 1899

Posters, in the form of placards and posted bills, have been used since earliest times, primarily for advertising and announcements. Purely textual posters have a long history: they advertised the plays ofShakespeareand made citizens aware of government proclamations for centuries. The great revolution in posters, however, was the development of printing techniques that allowed for cheap mass production and printing, notably including the technique oflithography,which was invented in 1796 by the GermanAlois Senefelder.The invention of lithography was soon followed bychromolithography,which allowed for mass editions of posters illustrated in vibrant colors to be printed.

Developing art form

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By the 1890s, the technique had spread throughout Europe. A number of noted French artists created poster art in this period, foremost amongst themHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec,Jules Chéret,Eugène Grasset,Adolphe Willette,Pierre Bonnard,Louis Anquetin,the brothersLéonandAlfred Choubrac,Georges de Feure,andHenri-Gabriel Ibels.[8]Chéret is considered to be the "father" of advertisement placards. He was a pencil artist and a scene decorator, who founded a small lithography office in Paris in 1866. He used striking characters, contrast, and bright colors, and created more than 1000 advertisements, primarily for exhibitions, theatres, and products. The industry soon attracted the service of many aspiring painters who needed a source of revenue to support themselves.

Chéretdeveloped a newlithographictechnique that better suited the needs of advertisers: he added a lot more colour which, in conjunction with innovativetypography,rendered the poster much more expressive. Chéret is said to have introduced sexuality in advertising or, at least, to have exploited the feminine image as an advertising ploy. In contrast with those previously painted byToulouse-Lautrec,Chéret's laughing and provocative feminine figures, often called "chérettes", meant a new conception of art as being of service to advertising.

Posters soon transformed the thoroughfares of Paris, making the streets into what one contemporary called "the poor man's picture gallery."[9]Their commercial success was such that some fine artists took up poster design in earnest. Some of these artists, such asAlphonse Mucha,were in great demand and theatre stars personally selected their own favorite artist to do the poster for an upcoming performance. The popularity of poster art was such that in 1884 a major exhibition was held in Paris.

Golden age

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Poster about Tungsram filaments, Hungary ca.1910

By the 1890s, poster art had widespread use in other parts of Europe, advertising everything from bicycles to bullfights. By the end of the nineteenth century, during an era known as theBelle Époque,the standing of the poster as a serious art form was raised even further. Between 1895 and 1900, Jules Chéret created theMaîtres de l'Afficheseries (Masters of the Poster) that became not only a commercial success, but is now recognized as an important historical publication.

Eugène GrassetandAlphonse Muchawere also influential poster designers of this generation, known for theirArt Nouveaustyle and stylized figures, particularly of women. Advertisement posters became a special type of graphic art in the modern age.Poster artistssuch asThéophile Steinlen,Albert Guillaume,Leonetto Cappiello,Henri Thiriet,and others became important figures of their day, their art form transferred to magazines for advertising as well as for social and political commentary. Indeed, as design historian Elizabeth Guffey notes, "As large, colorful posters began to command the spaces of public streets, markets, and squares, the format itself took on a civic respectability never afforded to Victorian handbills."[10]

Poster forRingling Brothers(circa1899) featuring Madam Ada Castello and her horse, Jupiter

In theUnited States,posters underwent a slightly different evolution. By the 1850s, the advent of the traveling circus brought colorful posters to tell citizens that a carnival was coming to town. While many of these posters were beautifully printed, the earliest were mass-produced woodcuts; that technique, as well as their subject matter, crowded style, and bright colors, was often derided by contemporary critics. As chromo-lithography began to reshape European posters, American artists began to take that medium more seriously. Indeed, the work of designers such asEdward PenfieldandWill Bradleygained an audience in Europe as well as America.

Decline and resurgence

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Challenged by newer modes of advertising, the poster as a communicative tool began to decline after the First World War. Civic groups had long assailed the poster, arguing that the nature of the poster made public spaces ugly. But the real threat to posters came from newer forms of advertising. Mass-market magazines, radio, and later, television, as well as billboards all cut into advertiser's marketing budgets. While posters continued to be made and advertised products, they were no longer considered a primary form of advertising. More and more, the purpose of posters shifted toward political and decorative uses.

Indeed, by the mid 1960s, posters were reborn as part of a broader counter-cultural shift. By 1968 the contemporary poster resurgence was described as "half way between a passing fashion and a form of mass hysteria."[11]Sometimes called a "second golden age" or "postermania"[12]however, this resurgence of popularity saw posters used as decoration and self-expression as much as public protest or advertising.[13]

Commercial uses

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Office of WarInformation, Bureau of Special Services, 1943

By the 1890s, poster art had widespread use in other parts of Europe, advertising everything from bicycles to bullfights. Many posters have had greatartistic merit.These include the posters advertising consumer products and entertainment, but also events such as theWorld's FairsandColonialExhibitions.

Political uses

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The first widespread use of illustrated posters for political ends occurred during the First World War. War bond drives and recruitment posters soon replaced commercial advertisements. German graphic designers who had pioneered the simple Sachplakat style in the years leading up to the war, applied their talents to the war effort. Artists working for the Allied cause also adapted their art in wartime, as well.

During the Second World War many posters were distributed by the U.S. government and often were displayed in post offices. Many were designed to provide rationale for adaptation to the rationing of supplies such as gasoline and foods.

The 1960s saw the rise ofpop artand protest movements throughout the West; both made great use of posters and contributed to the revitalization of posters at this time. Perhaps the most acclaimed posters were those produced byFrenchstudents during the so-called, "événements",of May 1968. During the1968 Paris student riotsand for years to come,Jim Fitzpatrick'sstylized poster ofMarxistrevolutionaryChe Guevara(based on the photograph,Guerrillero Heroico), also became a common youthful symbol of rebellion.[14]

After theSeptember 11 attacks,in the United States, public schools across the country hung framed posters of "In God We Trust"in their" libraries, cafeterias, and classrooms. "TheAmerican Family Associationsupplied several 11-by-14-inch posters to school systems.[15]

Printing

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Manyprintingtechniques are used to produce posters. While most posters are mass-produced, posters may also be printed by hand or in limited editions. Most posters are printed on one side and left blank on the back, the better for affixing to a wall or other surface. Pin-up sized posters are usually printed on A3 Standard Silk paper in full colour. Upon purchase, most commercially available posters are often rolled up into a cylindrical tube to allow for damage-free transportation. Rolled-up posters may then be flattened under pressure for several hours to regain their original form.

It is possible to useposter creation softwareto print large posters on standard home or office printers.

Collecting

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There exists a community that collect rare or vintage posters, analogous tofine artcollectors. Popular categories includeBelle Époque,movies,war and propaganda, and travel. Because of their low cost, the number of forged posters is relatively low compared to other mediums.[16]The International Vintage Poster Dealers Association (IVPDA) maintains a list of reputable poster dealers.[17]Collectableposter artistsincludeJules Chéret,Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,Alphonse Mucha,andThéophile Steinlen.

Types

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Many posters, particularly early posters, were used for advertising products. Posters continue to be used for this purpose, with posters advertisingfilms,music(both concerts and recorded albums),comic books,andtraveldestinations being particularly notable examples.

Propaganda and political

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Germanpropagandaposter,Weimar Republic,1921
"Fall In" war poster created [between 1914 and 1918] from theArchives of Ontario poster collection.

During theFirstandSecond World Wars,recruiting posters became extremely common, and many of them have persisted in the national consciousness, such as the "Lord Kitchener Wants You"posters from theUnited Kingdom,the "Uncle Samwants you "posters from the United States, or the"Loose Lips Sink Ships"posters[18]that warned of foreign spies. Also in Canada, they were widespread.[19]

Posters during wartime were also used forpropagandapurposes, persuasion, and motivation, such as the famousRosie the Riveterposters that encouraged women to work in factories during World War II. TheSoviet Unionalso produced a plethora ofpropaganda posters,[20]some of which became iconic representations of theGreat Patriotic War.

During the democraticrevolutions of 1989inCentral and Eastern Europethe poster was a very important weapon in the hand of the opposition. Brave printed and hand-made political posters appeared on theBerlin Wall,on the statue of St. Wenseslas inPrague,and around the unmarked grave ofImre NagyinBudapest.Their role was indispensable for democratic change. An example of an influential political poster isShepard Fairey's,Barack Obama "HOPE" poster.

Movie

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Main article:Film poster

Thefilmindustry quickly discovered that vibrantly coloured posters were an easy way to sell their films. Today, posters are produced for most major films, and movie posters are some of the most actively collected. The record price for a poster was set on November 15, 2005 when US$690,000 was paid for a poster ofFritz Lang's 1927 film,Metropolis,from the Reel Poster Gallery in London.[21]Other early horror and science fiction posters are known to bring tremendous prices as well, with an example fromThe Mummyrealizing $452,000 in a 1997Sotheby'sauction,[21]and posters from bothThe Black CatandBride of Frankensteinselling for $334,600 in variousHeritageAuctions.[22]The 1931Frankenstein6-sheet poster, of which only one copy is known to exist, is considered to be the most valuable film poster in the world.[23]

Travel

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Poster advertising, proposing a travel destination, or simply artistically articulating a place have been made. An example is theBeach Town Postersseries, a collection of Art Deco travel posters of American beach resorts that epitomise the advertising style of the 1920s and 1930s.[citation needed]

Railway

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In the early days of steam powered railways in Britain, the various rail companies advertised their routes and services on simple printed sheets. By the 1850s, with increasing competition and improvements in printing technology, pictorial designs were being incorporated in their advertising posters. The use of graphic artists began to influence the design of the pictorial poster. In 1905, theLondon and North Western Railway(LNWR) commissionedNorman Wilkinsonto produce artwork for a new landscape poster, advertising their rail and steam packet link to Ireland. In 1908, for theGreat Northern Railway(GNR),John Hassallproduced the famous image of the "Jolly Fisherman"with the" Skegness is so Bracing "slogan.Fortunino Mataniapainted a number of posters for theLMS.The development of this commercial art form throughout the first half of the twentieth century reflected the changes in British society, along with the changing styles of art, architecture, and fashion as well as changing patterns of holiday making.[24]Terence Cuneoproduced poster art for theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway,theLondon and North Eastern Railway,andBritish Railways.[25]Sheffield artist,Kenneth Steel,produced posters for British Railways.[26]

Event

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Event poster, 2005

Posters advertising events have become so common that any sort of public event, from a rally to a play, may be advertised with posters. A few types of events have become notable for their poster advertisements.

Boxing

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BoxingPosters were used in and around the venue to advertise the forthcoming fight, date, and ticket prices, and they usually consisted of pictures of each boxer. Boxing Posters vary in size and vibrancy, but are not usually smaller than 18x22 inches. In the early days, few boxing posters survived the event and have thus become acollectible.

Concert

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Manyconcerts,particularlyrock concerts,have custom-designed posters that are used as advertisement for the event. These often become collectors items as well.

Music group promotional

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Posters that showcase a person's favorite artist or music group are popular inteenagers' bedrooms, as well as incollegedorm roomsandapartments.Many posters have pictures of popularrock bandsand artists.

Blacklight

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Main article:Blacklight poster

Blacklight posters are designed tofluoresceor glow under ablack light(ultraviolet light).

Pin-up

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Pinup posters, "pinups", or "cheesecake" posters are images of attractive women designed to be displayed. They first became popular in the 1920s. The popularity ofpin-up girlposters has been erratic in recent decades. Pin-ups such asBetty GrableandJane Russellwere highly popular with soldiers duringWorld War II,but much less so during theVietnam War.Large posters of television actresses, for example thered swimsuit posterofFarrah Fawcettand the pink bikini poster ofCheryl Tiegs,became popular during the 1970s and into the early 1980s.

Affirmation

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Main article:Affirmation posters
An example of anaffirmation poster

This refers to decorative posters that are meant to be motivational and inspirational. One popular series has a black background, a scene from nature, and a word such as "Leadership" or "Opportunity". Another version (usuallyframedand matted) uses a two-imagehologramthat changes as the viewer walks past.

Comic book

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The resurgence ofcomic bookpopularity in the 1960s led to the mass production of comic book posters in the 1970s and onward. These posters typically feature popular characters in a variety of action poses.

The fact that comic books are a niche market means that a given poster usually has a smaller printing run than other genres of poster. Therefore, older posters may be quite sought after by collectors.

Promotional posters are usually distributed folded, whereas retail posters intended for home decoration are rolled.

Educational

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Research and "poster sessions"

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Main article:Poster session

Posters are used in academia to promote and explain research work.[27]They are typically shown during conferences, either as a complement to a talk or scientific paper, or as a publication. They are of lesser importance than articles, but they can be a good introduction to a new piece of research before the paper is published. They may be considered asgrey literature.Poster presentations are often notpeer-reviewed,but may instead be submitted, meaning that as many as can fit will be accepted.

Poster sessions have also been used as an alternative to oral presentations as a form of assessment.[28][29][30]

Classroom

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Posters are a standard feature ofclassroomsworldwide. A typical school in North America will display a variety, including: advertising tie-ins (e.g. an historical movie relevant to a current topic of study): alphabet and grammar, numeracy and scientific tables, safety and other instructions (such as lab safety and proper hand washing), artwork, and those created by the students for display.

Further information:Motivational poster

See also

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References

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  1. ^"poster noun".Oxford Dictionaries.Archivedfrom the original on 27 April 2018.Retrieved6 August2022.
  2. ^"poster noun".Merriam Webster.Archivedfrom the original on 6 August 2022.Retrieved6 August2022.
  3. ^Lippert, Angelina (18 August 2017)."What is a poster?".article.Poster House.Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2019.Retrieved18 July2019.
  4. ^Stephen Eskilson, Graphic Design: A New History, Yale University Press, 2012, pp. 43–47.
  5. ^Gallo, Max,The Poster in History,(2002) W.W. Norton
  6. ^Elizabeth Guffey, Posters: A Global History, Reaktion: 2015, pp. 8-9.
  7. ^Barnicoat, John,Posters: A Concise History,(1985) Thames and Hudson
  8. ^The modern poster by Arsène Alexandre
  9. ^Roger Marx, Masters of the Poster, 1896–1900 (New York, 1977), p. 7.
  10. ^Guffey, op cit, p. 13.
  11. ^David Kunzle, Posters of Protest: The Posters of Political Satire in the U.S., 1966–1970 (New York, 1971), p. 14.
  12. ^Hilton Kramer, 'Postermania', New York Times Magazine (11 February 1968).
  13. ^Guffey, op cit, 127.
  14. ^Che Guevara: Revolutionary & Icon,by Trisha Ziff, Abrams Image, 2006, pg 19
  15. ^"'In God We Trust' pressed for schools - USA Today ".Usatoday30.usatoday.com. 2002-02-19.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-11-11.Retrieved2013-02-28.
  16. ^Hunter, Lisa (2006).The Intrepid Art Collector.New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 123.ISBN0307237133.
  17. ^"Our Members - International Vintage Poster Dealers Association - Authentic Posters, Expert Dealers".www.ivpda.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-07-18.Retrieved2021-07-18.
  18. ^[1]ArchivedOctober 22, 2006, at theWayback Machine
  19. ^"Canadian War Poster Collection".Digital.library.mcgill.ca.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-02-07.Retrieved2013-02-28.
  20. ^"Propaganda posters - Collection of 1400+ POSTERS from Russia, Czech republic, Poland and Cuba".Posters.nce.buttobi.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-07-11.Retrieved2013-02-28.
  21. ^ab"Lang film poster fetches record".BBC News. 2005-11-15.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-07-31.Retrieved2009-01-11.
  22. ^"Heritage Auctions Search [54 790 231]".Archivedfrom the original on 2011-10-05.Retrieved2010-12-13.
  23. ^BIRD GEI Consultoria Idiomas. "http://birdgei.com/2012/02/07/film-posters/Archived2015-10-16 at theWayback Machine"
  24. ^"Railway posters - Our collection - National Railway Museum".Nrm.org.uk. 2009-10-13.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-01-28.Retrieved2013-02-28.
  25. ^"Terence Cuneo: the railway artist with a surprising lucky charm | Art UK".www.artuk.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-01-17.Retrieved2019-01-17.
  26. ^"Sheffield's Kenneth Steel: The famous rail travel artist you have never heard of".BBC News.27 December 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2021.Retrieved27 December2021.
  27. ^Ivaska, L; Torres-Simón, E (2020). "State of the art and seven tips for improvement".Electronic Journal of the KäTu Symposium on Translation and Interpreting Studies.13:138–157.
  28. ^Hughes, A (2005)."A Poster Project for an Undergraduate Sensation and Perception Course".Teaching of Psychology.32(1):58–59.
  29. ^Using Poster Presentation Activities for Assessment in Higher Education.ICERI2023 Proceedings. IATED. 2023. pp.1758–1764.doi:10.21125/iceri.2023.0518.
  30. ^Miller, C T (2023)."Classroom Trade Show: An Alternative to Traditional Classroom Presentations in an Undergraduate Plant Identification Course".HortTechnology.33:111–117.doi:10.21273/HORTTECH05148-22.

Further reading

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