A Guide to Being an Informed Poster Buyer

At Vintage European Posters, we like to say that we don’t sell you posters, we find you the posters you love. We also know that it can be very overwhelming to walk into a poster shop where you are offered  hundreds of original posters to choose from, so here are some helpful tips to help you become an informed poster buyer.

1. Purchase posters that you love. Many factors determine the value of a vintage poster, including its rarity, condition, designer, and sometimes subject matter, but the most important feature of a poster is that it speaks to you.

2. Know your source. Members that display the IVPDA logo have passed a series of stringent membership requirements. Association members have many years of professional experiences and are respected within the arts community for their knowledge and integrity.

3. Original posters were advertising items, not meant to last, and were printed on inexpensive paper. Therefore, a poster printed on heavy stock or good quality paper may be suspect.

4. Know your wall space. Vintage Posters come in all shapes and sizes, so it is always a good idea to know your size requirements and restrictions ahead of time. Your IVPDA member-dealer will help you identity and obtain posters that suit the space you have to display them. *

5. Have fun! This is a time for you to engage with the posters that intrigue you and learn about their history. At Vintage European Posters we do our best to foster an engaging and welcoming environment to help you feel comfortable in choosing the right poster for your space and lifestyle.

Jules Alexandre-Grun, Cocorico! 1913

Linen Backing and Mounting

Using a reversible conservation method, most posters today are professionally linen backed; mounted on acid free paper and a light cotton canvas or mounted on acid free Japanese rice paper. The IVPDA membership includes professionals who undertake this work as well as restoration, if necessary

The IVPDA

The International Vintage Poster Dealers Association (IVPDA) is a non-profit professional organization of dealers, which provides strict guidelines to ensure the authenticity of the posters for sale. Dealers displaying the IVPDA logo are found in many cities around the world. Members are committed to the highest standards of professional ethics in the collectibles industry and have been carefully screened for their knowledge of printing techniques, posters, and business ethics.

Villemot, Perrier C’est Fou, 1976

*Numbers 1-4 reprinted form the IVPDA brochure. (Now out of print) 

This post was written by Emily Jackson, UC Berkeley Art History Student and Gallery Assistant, and edited by Elizabeth Norris, Owner Vintage European Posters   www.vepca.com

Vintage European Posters was established in 1997. We are the West Coast’s Largest Dealer in Original Vintage Posters from France and the United States. See us online anytime at www.vepca.com and at our Berkeley Showroom OUTPOST 2201 Fourth Street, Tuesdays and Thursdays

Fernet Branca is so Chouette!

The mystical Jagermeister logo

In the 1980s, Americans discovered Jagermeister.  Now Jager has been around for more than a century, but a lean, mean marketing machine of a man, Chuck Giometti, decided to put Jager in the hands of every college kid in the US, and with the use of Jager girls and chilling machines, he did it.

Where did we drink Jager? In New Orleans on the street, in New York at KGB, in San Francisco at Dr. Bombay’s, in  Oakland at the Omni, and at home, never far from the freezer.  You must drink it chilled.  Imagine my surprise when I visited Germany in 1993, very excited at the prospect of drinking Jager in the motherland and was met with sideways glances by my German friends.

In Germany, Jagermeister is considered the drink of old men,  and is used as a digestif.  So when I asked for Jagermeister, it was assumed that, well, I needed digestive aid.  I found this postcard when I returned from Europe and it really cheered me up.

“When my dealer is away, I drink Jagermeister”

About 10 years ago, folks began to approach us at shows and say “Fernet Branca?” At first I didn’t know what they were talking about.  We learn a lot from our clients, and thankfully, one explained to us that it was an Italian digestif.  Over time we learned that when people asked for Fernet Branca, it was safe to assume they were bartenders by trade – today’s mixologists.  Asking for Fernet Branca at a bar is code for “I am also a bartender.”

Fernet Branca logo from the label

Eventually, we met the man responsible for putting Jagermeister and later Fernet on the map. Mr. Giometti contacted us and asked us to help him assemble a collection of original Fernet Posters. And so we did.  Today, he promotes Absente from Micel Roux, Rhum Barbancourt, and Prichards Whiskey to name a few.

Original Fernet Branca Menthe Poster

Anyway,  here is our one and only Fernet Branca poster.  I LOVE this piece. It was printed in the 1960s and suggests how cool or “chouette” the liqueur was then.  The poster is an original, and we consider it to be in Fine (or A-) condition.  The image is a summer image, evoking memories of a long cool drink under an umbrella.  Oh happy place, I’m ready for summer already!

Hillsborough Antique Show

Hello Clients and Poster Friends!

Marton, Geisweiler, c. 1921

We are excited to share our collection of original vintage posters at the Hillsborough Antiques Show  this weekend February 8-10 at the San Mateo Event Center.

We have exhibited at Hillsborough for 13 years! In that time, we have seen you choose beautiful posters, helped you frame them, enjoyed photos of your homes adorned with your collections, met your children, met your parents, and thoroughly enjoyed being your source for original vintage posters.

Constant-Duval, Amboise, c. 1930

We have benefitted tremendously from your referrals, from your good will, and from your enthusiasm about our collection, and our business. Nothing gives us more joy than your anticipation of our recent acquisitions, and geeking out together on dating a poster based on the evolution of the WWI German helmet, or the development of propellers on commercial planes.

Some of you know that we added a new framer a few years ago. We are delighted to work with The Studio Shop in Burlingame. Working with such a talented and professional framer helps fulfill our goal of being your full service poster dealer, choosing frames that take your posters from ‘great’ to ‘stellar’ on your walls.

We were introduced to the Studio by dear clients Harley & Vicki, who raved about the work of this second generation family business. The Studio Shop has been framing for 99 years, and they offer a wide range of frames – from the simplest stem mouldings to hand-carved, water-gilded, closed corner creations, as well as design consultation and installation services.

This weekend, stop by our booth and say hello and pick up a $25 gift card to the Studio Shop. It is a pleasure to refer you to such professionals.

Jules Alexandre-Grun, Cocorico! 1913

Charly and I head to Palm Springs next week for the Palm Springs Modernism Show, so come and see us now before LA snaps up all of the posters! Due to a date conflict with LA Modernism, we will not be exhibiting at the April Hillsborough Show, so see us on the Peninsula while you can!

With Every Good Wish,

Elizabeth, Charly, and Emily
Vintage Poster Concierges

Vintage European Posters
2201 Fourth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
http://www.vepca.com
510.843.2201

Show Details
Friday 11-8
Saturday 11-7
Sunday 11-5
San Mateo Event Center
Delaware Street Exit from Hwy 92
Visit the website for discount admission coupon
http://www.hillsboroughantiqueshow.com

St. Christopher Antique Show

Dear Friends in the South Bay,

Please join us this weekend at the 43rd Annual St. Christopher Ladies Guild Antique Show February 1 -3. This is our fourth year at the show and we are honored to be a part of this delightful community event.

Cheret, Jardin de Paris, 1901

We are also honored when you choose to put a vintage poster from our collection into your home. We know this is an important decision; in fact your artwork is a focal point, and you will have it for a life time. As they say “start with the art”.

We have worked very hard to find the very best original advertising posters in the finest condition. We bring them to your zip code once a year. Sadly, there are no other South Bay Shows on our 2014 roster*- so now is the best time to see our collection in person. I bought 180 posters in France over the summer and we have great pieces to share with you.

What did I find in France you ask? French Rail Posters, Mid Century Posters, Spanish Travel Posters, teaching posters and many more things than I can describe in an email.. You have to see them all!

Colin, Paris – SNCF, 1945

Do you want to leave with a poster? If so, measure your walls. Set aside 1-2 hours to see all of the posters in our stacks. This is a considered purchase. We do know that once you have your poster, you will be happy to see it on your wall every time you arrive at home.

For more information on the antique show, read Antiques Columnist Steve Yvaska’s column about the show (with a nice mention of us)!

With Every Good Wish,

Elizabeth & Charly
Vintage Poster Concierges

Brocherium, Camping, c. 1960

· We have enjoyed seeing many of you over the years at our annual show at Anne Johnson’s Post 61 in Los Gatos. Anne is a talented interior designer of residential and commercial projects and a connoisseur of vintage posters. She has moved her office, and is busier than ever. Find Anne at ajinteriors@comcast.net (mailto:ajinteriors@comcast.net) or by calling Anne at (408) 832-1692
· If you would like to host us at your business in the South Bay, and think you have the right location, please let me know!

The Value of an Iconic Image: James Montgomery Flagg and the Famous “I Want You” Poster

Flagg, I Want You, 1917

Those new to collecting posters sometimes ask, “Why buy the original?” To answer that question, let’s take a look at a poster we all recognize, “I Want You” by James Montgomery Flagg, the iconic military recruiting poster from World War I.  The market performance of this poster over the past quarter century is impressive, and like all other posters, it tells a story.  There is a tremendous amount of information to be found about the artist who created this piece, and about the time and tradition from whence this poster came.

There were a recorded 4,000,000 copies of “I Want You” printed in 1917, so this poster could hardly be considered rare.  Yet, like all other advertising posters, the value of the piece today depends on how many are in circulation (remember most posters were used and destroyed) as well as the demand for the poster in question.  When an original “I Want You” poster sold at auction in 1985, it fetched $1,540* , which was high for a World War I poster at the time.  Twenty-one years later in 2006, it fetched $6,900. * Today, this piece can be found on the market for $8,500. This type of appreciation is not unusual for original advertising posters, particularly those by well-known artists.

James Montgomery Flagg was born in 1877 and sold his first illustration to the magazine St. Nicholas at age 12.  He began to illustrate regularly for Life magazine at the age of 14, and went on to work for such popular magazines as Judge, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Liberty and Harper’s Weekly, producing on average of 1 illustration a day. Flagg was proud of his ability to work quickly.  He was a versatile artist, using oil paints, pencil, pen and ink, watercolor and even sculpture.

It is interesting to note that Flagg briefly lived in Paris in 1900, during in the heyday of poster art, when the city streets were made bright with the works of prominent posterists Jules Cheret, Alphonse Mucha, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec and Theophile Steinlen.  One can surmise that Flagg couldn’t help but absorb the fundamentals of good poster design from his exposure to the French masters of illustration.

When World War I broke out and the Division of Pictorial Publicity was formed to create a nationwide poster campaign, Flagg was an inaugural member.  “I Want You” was drawn first as a cover of the magazine “Leslie’s Weekly” and quickly turned into the most successful recruiting poster of all time.

Leete, Your Country Needs You, 1914

The image owes a debt to the 1914 British recruiting poster “Your Country Needs You” designed by Alfred Leete, which features Britain’s Secretary of State Lord Kitchener pointing at the viewer with an imposing stare. While effective in communicating the message to enlist, the poster is monochromatic and stark.  By contrast, the Uncle Sam Image in James Montgomery Flagg’s  “I Want You” is vibrant with color, and the muscle and sinew of the character represent strength and grit.  It is no wonder the artist reprised the character in a number of other WWI posters.

Photographs of Flagg dressed as Uncle Sam during WWII

James Montgomery Flagg was 64 when the US entered World War II, but he didn’t hesitate to step back into his role as a military poster artist.  The artist even posed as Uncle Sam in some of the designs (see image above), and he created other great WWII posters for the Air Force, the Marines, the Red Cross and others.  We currently have poster below in our collection, which revives the imagery of Flagg’s “I Want You” poster to encourage the public to get a war job – list of positions included! Few American illustrators successfully created such a legacy as did Flagg.  The demand for his original advertising posters is a good indicator of where the original advertising poster stands in today’s marketplace.

Flagg, I Need Your Skills in a War Job, 1943

*Poster auctions International

Images from Wikipedia and “James Montgomery Flagg” by Susan E. Meyer

This post was written by Elizabeth Norris, Owner Vintage European Posters, and edited by Emily Jackson, UC Berkeley Art History Student and Gallery Assistant  www.vepca.com

Vintage European Posters was established in 1997. We are the West Coast’s Largest Dealer in Original Vintage Posters from France and the United States. See us online anytime at www.vepca.com and at our Berkeley Showroom OUTPOST 2201 Fourth Street, Tuesdays and Thursdays