Southern Railways Online Booking - Art Deco Posters - What to Collect?

Art Deco posters represent the best in graphic design that we have seen this century, or you are a serious collector, whether you just want something stylish to hang on your wall.

As manufacturers vied with each other for the most striking designs for their products, competition meant that graphic design became a profession in its own right. Meant that there was a flowering of the advertising industry in the 1920s and 1930s such as had never been seen before, along with developments in printing techniques, the growth of consumerism.

So the poster was the main means of expression for the ad men of the day. And radio advertising was in its infancy, it was before the days of television.

Poster designs from the era are more well-known today than many of the fine art paintings of the time. Art Deco posters are the legacy that we have today from that outpouring of design talent.

Shipping Posters

Cassandre's posters are highly collectable today and fetch many thousands of dollars. Which was imitated by many other poster designers throughout the world, and created a whole new artistic genre, he concentrated on transport posters mainly. Probably the best of the Art Deco poster designers, how many of us know the name of Cassandre, and many other shipping posters of the time, although everyone has seen the famous Art Deco poster of the SS Normandie.

Travel and Leisure

The beach or the ice rink, golf, such as skiing, many had sporting themes. And the playgrounds of the rich and famous, roger Broders designed many fabulous posters promoting the French riviera. London Zoo and other attractions also had memorable poster designs. Posters that really stand out from the period were commissioned by London Transport and the London Underground. The travel and leisure posters of the day reflect that. Everything was streamlined, everyone was fanatical about speed and in the 1930s. The train and the airplane, it was the age of the ocean liner, there was a great demand for leisure travel in the 1920s and 1930s.

Theatre and Jazz

And there are many bold and stunning posters for jazz concerts, the arrival in France of Jazz musicians from the USA in the 1920s meant that jazz was also an enormous influence on the graphic designers of the day. But particularly Paul Colin who designed the famous Revue Negre and a large series of posters entitled "Le Tumulte Noir" inspired by a huge event "the Bal Negre" which 3000 Parisiens attended, josephine Baker was the muse of many an artist. The theatre and music hall also inspired a rich outpouring of posters.

Movies

Though there are many more, metropolis is probably the most iconic of the Art Deco posters inspired by the movies. Movies are another poster collecting area.

Beauty

As well as being highly decorative, these are a great area to collect as there are still many available and they are still very affordable. These appeared in specialist magazines and were of excellent quality. And were hand coloured, the pochoir print was a technique used particularly by the illustrators of fashion designs. Makeup and more that would be a great area for collecting, fashions, there are many attractive posters for perfumes. As well as the more mundane toiletries - toothpaste and such, beauty products were a huge advertising area.

Food and Drink cigarettes and Alcohol,

Especially for coffee, and there are some wonderful designs, food and drink were also big advertising areas. Some of the most dramatic posters are for these products and some of the best Art Deco poster designers worked for those brands. Tobacco and alcohol advertising was huge in the 1920s and 30s, maybe not so politically correct today.

And condition is important, signed posters will be worth more. Its always a good idea to buy the best you can afford. There are so many different areas of poster design that it makes sense to choose one particular theme to concentrate on.

There is an Art Deco poster out there for every taste and every pocket, originals or reproductions, or unsigned posters, whether you collect big names.

An Art Deco poster is a great investment that gives pleasure for many years. Pollution and too much light, and kept away from humidity, posters should be protected by framing between acid free boards under reflective glass.