Travelers to France in the 1890s became entranced by the colorful posters appearing on the streets of Paris. Nothing like those existed in the U.S. until Edward Penfield started designing posters for Harper's Magazine in 1893. Other publishers quickly followed and the “poster craze” was born. Their small sizes, c. 11x18, were designed for bookstores and enabled devotees to assemble significant collections. Designers and artists competed to produce startling posters. This fad lasted for about 10 years but, miraculously some collections survived. Poster Plus in the 1970s was able to find some of these treasures which were sold to collectors and found their way to museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
We still have some wonderful examples which we are pleased to offer:
The silhouette of a moose head is the central background for Scribner's September 1899 issue. Its featured story was Frederic Irland's "Where The Water Runs Both Ways" - a journey through Ottowa's wilderness.
Lithograph, 14 x 22 inches
This poster is conservation backed on acid-free paper and canvas.
Original vintage posters are rare and availability is subject to prior sale.