Poster

POSTER. A poster is a printed, written or illustrated an nouncement publicly exhibited. Its usual function is to call atten tion to goods or service; but, to fulfil that object completely, it has not merely to arouse attention ; it must provoke interest and create a desire for purchase. However attractive pictorially or textually a modern poster may be, commerce, the chief patron of poster art, finally judges a design by its value as a link in the chain of salesmanship.

The poster is seldom given entire responsibility for influencing the public ; rather is it regarded as a form of "reminder" adver tising—an ally of the press advertisement, the creator of a favour able atmosphere. The average "commercial" poster is intended to influence two groups—the retailer, who, it is hoped will stock the advertiser's goods, and the public who will purchase them. Posters have a very wide range of duties to perform in addition to selling goods. They deliver every kind of message, to every type of "audience," in an infinite variety of styles. Actually, the poster or placard can trace its ancestry back almost to the dawn of civilization.

History.

Egyptian wall-paintings, mural decorations and in scriptions, produced over 3,00o years s.c., have been discovered by archaeologists, much of this work, together with that of the early-Babylonian, Assyrian, Greek and Roman craftsmen, dis playing a precision of line and a decorative beauty which are the envy and despair of the modern poster-designer. Tablets of wood, papyrus and parchment were also used, in ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome, for the purpose of issuing announcements, while it is the lettering of the Trajan column which has inspired the finest types of poster lettering of to-day.

Later Developments.

In later days, the sign-board was adopted as a form of advertisement, the hanging sign being a picturesque feature of mediaeval architecture throughout Europe. Written handbills were an additional means of enabling the shop keeper to bring his goods and service to the notice of the public, and vast possibilities were suddenly presented to him by the invention of printing, by Gutenberg, before 1450, and by its introduction into England by Caxton in 1476.

The first letterpress poster soon made its appearance in Eng land; and shortly afterwards, in France, a royal proclamation was issued in poster form. During the 17th century, the general use of posters was forbidden, but in time their value to the community was recognized, official restrictions were removed, and the first pictorial posters made their appearance. These were illustrated by wood-cuts, Pedlars and packmen, hucksters and showmen, stroll ing players and proprietors of booths, also used handbills and min iature posters, decorated by wood-cuts; and these simple, primitive illustrations have formed part of the artistic inspiration of the leading poster designers of to-day.

The wood-cut was, however, destined to be superseded by lithog raphy (q.v.) as a medium for the designing and printing of posters. Invented in 1796, and developed for printing purposes by Senefelder, the new art of drawing and engraving on stone, metal plates and "transfer" papers, opened up possibilities almost as vast as those which followed the invention of the printing press.

The first lithographed posters are interesting as historical curi osities only, the earlier wood-cuts possessing infinitely more char acter. Lithography was seized upon as a means of producing a more elaborate, "highly-finished" form of illustration, and it is to France that we have to turn for the earliest lithographed posters of quality.

The modern poster began with Jules Cheret, a Frenchman, born in Paris in 1836, self taught as a draughtsman. He served his apprenticeship as a lithographer in England, and when 3o years old became interested in announcements of theatrical managers and placards put out about that time urging recruiting for armies. In 1867 the world saw the first modern poster of Cheret's, an announcement of a play enacted by a young woman, then 2 2 years old, who was to make her name immortal—Sarah Bernhardt. The poster announced a fairy play, entitled : La Biche au Bois.