Poster facts for kids

Poster with Uncle Sam pointing at viewer as part of the United States government effort to recruit soldiers during World War I, with the famous legend "I want you for the U.S. Army".

A poster is a large piece of printed paper that has a picture of something. Posters are made to be shown on a wall or other flat surface. Posters may be used for advertising, education, propaganda, and decoration. They may also be copies of famous works of art.

Chromolithography and the poster

Chromolithography (colour lithography) was invented by Engelmann and son, who were granted a patent in 1837. After that, it was a matter of time before it reached full commercial development.

Because of its low production costs, over the 50 years after the American Civil War, millions of chromolithographs were printed and were sold for under $10. Louis Prang, a Bostonian, produced fine-art subjects, such as still lifes, landscapes, and classical subjects. Nevertheless, it was only after the Jules Chéret posters, in 1847, that the potential of this technical process for creation of artistic posters was realized.

Examples

Jules Chéret

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  Chéret's posters elevated advertisement to an art form. In 1858 he printed his first color poster in France. He ultimately became known as "the father of modern lithography", as well as the "Father of the Poster". Chéret used design as the dominant features while reducing text to a minor role.

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  Chéret's style gradually evolved from the complex Victorian decorative graphics into a simpler compositional design in which large central figures were prominent in the motif with simplified backgrounds, and large surfaces of vivid colour. Hand-lettered titles were used in harmony with the design.

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  His large posters displayed free-spirited women which earned him the title of "father of the women's liberation".

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  Alfred Choubrac minimized the role of the text in a poster. In this poster all of the relevant information is summarized in one short sentence.

19th century posters in the US

Louis John Rhead

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  Louis John Rhead was from a family of English artists. He was sent to Paris at the age of thirteen to study under Boulanger, and returned to England several years later. Rhead continued his studies under Edward Pointer and Alphonse Legros. By the time he arrived in America in 1888, he was one of the leaders in the Art Nouveau movement. He created posters for Scribner's and Century magazines.

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  In the 1890s Rhead designed nearly one hundred posters. In England and the U.S. he did posters for magazines: Cassell's Magazine, the Weekly Dispatch, The Century, St. Nicholas, Harper's, The Bookman and Scribners'. He produced large posters for the New York Sun and the New York Journal, and commercial posters for products such as Lundborg perfumes, Pearline washing powders, and Packer's soap.

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  In 1895 he won a Gold Medal for Best American Poster Design at the first International Poster Show in Boston. By the late 1890s, the popularity of poster art declined and Rhead turned his skills to book illustration. Between 1902 and his death in 1926, Rhead illustrated numerous children books published by Harpers and others.

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  Rhead is noted as a great graphic designer. Many consider his use of colors startling, and his compositions sophisticated. He created art work that in his time looked modern and vanguard.

Edward Penfield

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  Edward Penfield, has been called the “originator of the poster in America. He was born 2 June 1866 in Brooklyn, New York. Edward enrolled at the Art Students' League in New York City. He also studied painting under the impressionist George de Forest Brush around 1890. He is mostly known for his advertising ‘placards’ for Harper's New Monthly Magazine.

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  Penfield’s first published work appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1891. In his early works, Penfield executed ink and watercolor wash illustrations in a similar style to the older generation of graphic artists, such as W.T. Smedley, W.A. Rogers, Thor de Thulstrep, Rufus Zogbaum and E.A. Abbey.

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  His trademark linework and use of broad tonal areas developed after his return from Europe. His well-thought design was as important as his illustration. There were a number of influences, including Japanese prints, the Arts and Crafts movement, the impressionistic approach of Parisian poster-making, and British poise and directness.

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  The graphic art of Penfield demonstrates a keen sense of design and composition. His work was described by Publisher's Weekly: "The advertising poster has within recent years actually soared into the regions of art". Penfield is also credited with bringing abstraction to commercial art through his boldly simplified shapes.

Toulouse-Lautrec and Post-impressionism

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  Henri Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) was born as the son of an aristocratic family in the South of France. He got painting and drawing lessons from Rene Princeteau. He went to Paris in 1882 to study painting, where he met Émile Bernard and Vincent van Gogh. He became attracted to the post-impressionist style and joined the movement. Lautrec became a part of the bohemian community of Montmartre with its nightlife of cabarets, cafes and restaurants. 1892/3.

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  Toulouse Lautrec, was deeply influenced by Japanese woodblock printing. From the 1850s onwards, Japanese art work flowed into the west and attracted the attention of both artists and collectors. The term "japonisme" was coined in 1872 by Philippe Burty, a French art critic. Lautrec lived during the height of what have been called "the banquet years" of Paris. Although his handicap kept him from enjoying some of life's pleasures, it was the nightlife of Montmartre which inspired his work. 1892.

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  Lautrec wove the text into the graphics, but here there is almost no text. Still, this poster probably has all the necessary information. People would know who Cadieux was, and where the theatre was. Shows a terrific sense of movement. 1893.

Art nouveau posters and the impact of graphics on painting

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  The works of Gustav Klimt an Austrian painter is a clear example of the influence of graphic design on painting. This portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer exhibits many of the influences of graphic design.

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  The English graphic artist Aubrey Beardsley mostly did illustrations for periodicals. Clearly art nouveau, based on elegant and flowing lines; and splendid elongated figures. Beardsley specialised in suggesting vice and moral corruption, where Lautrec simply showed people.

Posters in the first half of the 20th century

Posters were used for war propaganda, to encourage young people to enlist in the army, and to sell government war bonds. From a strictly artistic view the posters were unimaginative and far from the masterpieces of the late 19th century posters. The posters almost all came with a caption to bang the message home.

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  This is virtually a copy of the famous British poster featuring Lord Kitchener 'Your country needs YOU!' (1914).

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  No sign of art nouveau here; simplicity itself in a British poster designed for use in the USA. 1917.

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  Among the propaganda war posters, this stands out, with its distinct blend of sympathy and help. Norman Rockwell, 1918.

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  The French graphic artist Jean Carlu, who was influenced by cubism, had style. This 1942 war poster is tinged with Art Deco and streamlining.

Images for kids

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  Poster for the Holzer Fashion Store

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  "Moulin Rouge - La Goulue" Toulouse-Lautrec, 1891

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  Lithograph poster for Ranch 10, a Western-themed play by Harry Meredith that opened in New York City in August 1882

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

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  Poster about Tungsram filaments, Hungary ca.1910

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  Poster for Ringling Brothers (circa 1899) featuring Madam Ada Castello and her horse, Jupiter

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  Event poster, 2005

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  Exhibition posters. Malmö Konsthall's 25th anniversary in 2000.

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  An example of an affirmation poster