19thCentury Images Rock on

By: Judy Penz Sheluk

As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper August 2006 

It began in 1866 with the vision of Jules Cheret, who began to produce lithographic posters in Paris from his own press. Considered the father of the Art Nouveau poster movement, Cheret's images of women in trembling petticoats inspired a generation of late 19th century artists, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha and Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen.

 "The Art Nouveau poster movement went well beyond traditional advertising, as manufacturers began to recognize women as the primary influence of consumer goods," said Laura Gold, president/owner of Park South Gallery at Carnegie Hall. Gold is also the author of First Ladies of the Poster, a comprehensive visual retrospective of the women represented in 19th century Art Nouveau posters.

"In Paris especially, posters were treated as art," said Gold. "Every poster was hand-drawn and hand-painted, using stone lithographs, and the level of skill and the inks used were second to none. Jules Cheret was able to create a visual spectrum using just three colors, red, green and blue. This was also the beginning of the emancipation of women; we see posters of women dancing with abandon, smoking, drinking, golfing, skiing and riding bicycles - we even see women driving a car."

Gold's Park South Gallery at Carnegie Hall is also a proud member of The International Vintage Poster Dealers Association (IVPDA), which was founded in 1996 by a group of highly respected poster dealers from the United States and Europe. Today the IVPDA has more than 60 members, providing strict guidelines to ensure the authenticity of the posters offered for sale.

Programs like the Antiques Roadshow have been instrumental in the poster's renewed popularity. Nicholas Lowry is the president of Swann Auction Galleries, and a frequent guest appraiser for the popular TV show. "There were certainly fewer posters brought in for appraisal when I started doing the Roadshow," said Lowry. "Now, I can expect to see at least a dozen posters or poster collections at every venue."  

Swann Galleries were also instrumental in bringing recognition of posters to the auction market. In December 16, 2004, their sale of Art Nouveau posters included more than 130 lots. Prices realized ranged from $450 for an 1898 poster advertising Abricotine, a fashionable liqueur in the late 19th century, up to $48,000 for an advertising poster by Steinlen for Motorcycles Comiot, ca. 1899. Another poster, La Chanson du Matelot, ca. 1899, by Toulouse-Lautrec also realized $48,000.

"Lautrec is particularly desirable and is sought after by a continuum of collectors," said Dennis King, owner of D. King Gallery, and co-author of The Art of Modern Rock. "He was the progenitor who brought posters to the forefront by subjugating the advertising image, and much of the 1960s rock poster movement was influenced by his incredible imagery."

"The earliest rock posters were no different than the big band and country music posters that came before them, featuring plain block lettering and unadorned photographs of the performers," said King. "This began to change in late 1965 - San Francisco had flourished in the Victorian era, and many of the houses were built in that time. As the hippie/anti-establishment culture began to converge in the Bay area, a Victorian revival began to blossom. With it came an interest in Victorian art, as seen through new (psychedelic) eyes.

"Initially, posters advertised local events showcasing local talent, but as their popularity increased, they featured many of the most famous rock acts of the time, and images were often directly and indirectly appropriated from actual 19th century works," said King. The boldest example is The Family Dog #29, which advertised Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company. It is identical except for text and coloring to an original poster by Mucha, which advertised JOB rolling papers - a perfect fit, given the drug culture of the day.

"Between 1966 and 1971, more than 450 posters were printed to advertise rock concerts promoted in San Francisco by Bill Graham (Fillmore) and by The Family Dog alone," said King. Buyers can still find examples of hand bills for $50; posters generally start at around $100, with rare examples selling for $1,500 and up. Many of these illustrate a strong Art Nouveau influence.

Renowned rock poster artist Bob Masse explained why. "The Art Nouveau movement worked well with the way things were at that time. There was a flashback renaissance to King Arthur's court and the free-flowing fashions of Lady Guinevere. It was a time of peace and love and the romanticism of Camelot."

Masse, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, began his career as a poster artist in the 1960s while still in art school. Since the beginning, his musical subjects have covered all genres, and have included the Doors, Country Joe & the Fish, the Byrds, the Grateful Dead, Cream, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Iron Butterfly, the Yardbirds, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, the Dixie Chicks, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Black Crowes, Jethro Tull and U2.

Masse acknowledges that Alphonse Mucha has been a huge influence in his work, and he continues to produce posters in the Art Nouveau style. "My goal is to turn people on to the Art Nouveau movement," said Masse, who is also a collector of 19th century posters. "There were certainly lean times; in the 1970s and 80s, poster work was hard to come by, but the 1990s brought renewed interest in 1890s works, and with it, a renewed interest in contemporary artists."

To Dennis King, the increase in popularity and recognition is well-deserved. "1960s rock posters quite literally transformed 19th century Art Nouveau into modern day art. They forever altered our perception of what a poster could and couldn't be, and paved the way for future generations."

For more information: International Vintage Poster Dealers Association [www.ivpda.com]
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