A brief history of the Poster

Poster Definition, just in case you did not know ;-)

The word poster is used to describe any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or flat surface. Posters usually include both text and images and are designed to convey information and be pleasing to the eye. They are used for many purposes, and are frequently used to advertise sporting events, musicians, films and products.

Posters are also used for reproductions of artwork due to the low-cost compared to the original artwork. Other types of poster include educational posters, which may be about a particular subject for the purpose of learning.

Collecting posters is a very popular hobby and some movie posters (we prefer to call them film posters in the UK) have themselves become very valuable. Vintage film posters are usually framed and some people will spend a large amount of money to have a rare poster restored to its former glory.

Poster History

The poster, as we know it today, has been displayed in public places all over the world since 1870 when the printing industry perfected colour lithography and made mass production viable. They have been designed to attract the attention of the passer-by, making us aware of politics, enticing us to attend a sporting event, a film or a music concert. Posters are also an important part of marketing, encouraging us to purchase a service or product.

Posters soon transformed the thoroughfares of Paris into “the art galleries of the street”. Some of the poster artists were in such great demand that theatre stars personally selected their own favourite artist to commission a poster for an upcoming performance. Poster art was by now so popular that a major exhibition was held in Paris, France in 1884.

Fast Forward To The 20th Century

During both World Wars recruiting posters became very common, such as the "Lord Kitchener Wants You" poster from the UK or the similar "Uncle Sam wants you" poster from the USA. Posters during World War Two were also used for motivation, such as the famous Rosie the Riveter poster which exhorted women workers that "We can do it”.

Many posters were used for advertising products and they continue to be used for this purpose, with posters advertising films, music and travel destinations being obvious examples.

Film Posters

The film industry quickly discovered that vibrant posters were a good way to sell their movies. Today, posters are produced for every film, and collecting film posters has become a major hobby and passion for some and many books are available on the subject.

Sport Posters

The Sporting Poster is used in and around the venue to advertise the forthcoming fixture and usually consist of pictures of the contestants along with the date and ticket price.

Concert Promotion Posters

Many rock concerts have custom designed posters that are used for advertisement of the event. These often become very collectable.

Educational Posters

Educational posters are used in academia to promote and explain the subject matter. They are typically displayed on the walls of classrooms in schools and colleges.

Music Posters

Music posters that display a person's favourite artist or band are popular in many teenagers bedrooms.