Poster

The first Cheret posters, with their filmy female figures seem ingly floating in space and flaming colours, excited interest, held attention, and caused favourable comment. Orders for Cheret's posters came from music halls, dealers in cigarettes, drinks, toilet articles, newspapers, circuses, charity fetes, and the streets were gladdened with merrily dancing figures. Cheret designed more than i,000 posters, the best of which can be found in books de voted to the art.

The poster spread from France to Germany. Later it travelled across the Pyrenees to Spain, and from France to Switzerland, and over the Alps into Italy, from France to Belgium, and across the English channel to England, across the North sea to Holland, and from Germany it found its way to Austria-Hungary, the poster invasion finally reaching Russia and travelling across the Baltic sea to Norway and Sweden. From the British Isles and the Continent of Europe, the poster went to the United States, and later to Canada, thence to Australia.

In

England the first to attract attention by his posters was Frederick Walker, who in 1871 made a poster for the dramatized version of The Woman in White. Members of the Royal academy were attracted to the newly discovered medium, and Sir John Millais exhibited "Bubbles," advertising a soap. This poster pleased England immensely. Then followed Aubrey Beardsley, with his weird posters, Walter Crane, R. Anning Bell, the "Beg garstaff Brothers" (James Pryde and William Nicholson), J. W. Simpson, Gordon Craig, Dudley Hardy, Maurice Greiffenhagen, J. Hassall, Will Owen and others.

In Germany Ludwig Hohlwein won not only a national, but an international reputation, and books of his posters are sold throughout Europe and America ; his posters are so compelling that he is regarded as a master of his craft. Other German poster artists whose work reached the highest standards include Otto Fischer, Sattler, Speyer, T. T. Heine, Max Klinger, Dasio, Hof mann, Franz Stuck and L. Zumbrusch.

Leon Bakst, the Russian genius, and H. Cassiers, Belgian, have done much to bring renown to their native lands by their posters of distinction. Japan's greatest poster artist is Toyokuni.

The poster, as it is known to-day, did not exist in the United States previous to 1889, except for the theatrical and circus posters made by Matt Morgan. Posters began in the United States in the '9os, when Louis Rhead and Will H. Bradley began to produce their decorative placards. These were used principally for the announcements of magazines and the books of publishers. Later business and commerce saw the great value of poster advertising, and enlisted the services of Maxfield Parrish, Ethel Reed, Will Carqueville, J. J. Gould, Howard Chandler Christy, J. C. Ley endecker, Frank Hazenpflug, James Montgomery Flagg, Charles Dana Gibson, and others.

On the poster panels of to-day, in the United States, may be seen the work of Harrison Fisher, Linn Ball, G. C. Beall, Norman Rockwell, Fred Stanley, William Oberhardt, Fred Mizen, Clarence F. Underwood, Karl Johnson, F. Nelson Abbott, Arthur von

Frankenberg, John E. Sheridan, Harry Morse Mayers, Hadon Sundblum, John 0. Brubaker, Charles E. Chambers, McClelland Barclay, Lucille P. Marsh and other noted artists.

With the outbreak of the World War posters took on a new significance in all nations actively engaged in the struggle. In countries where there was not conscription, posters were most effectively used to stimulate recruiting. Before conscription in England (during the first stages of the war), more than 2,500,00o posters were posted in the British Isles alone to get men to enlist, the posters representing the work of about ioo artists. Taking a lesson from Great Britain, the Governments of the countries actively engaged in the war spoke to their nationals through the medium of the poster, appealing to the civilian population in behalf of subscriptions to the war loans, the conservation of food, aid for the organizations engaged in war work, such as hospitals, milk funds, destitute dependents, the Red Cross, the Y.M.C.A. and other activities that war entails.

Brangwyn and Spencer Pryse produced work for Britain and Belgium which was full of dignity and nobility. In France, Stein len, Faivre, Willette, Poulbot and Fouqueray appealed to the patriotism of their countrymen. In Germany the belief in force and might was hammered into pictures by Engelhard, Louis Op penheim, Puchinger, Otto Leonard and Wohlfeld. Austria's ac tions were justified or defended and her causes championed by Krafter, Arpellus, Buo and Kurthy.

Standards.

In the half century or more since the poster became a popular means of outdoor publicity, women have been predominant in many of the posters displayed. The irresistible charm of childhood illumines many posters. Birds and animals are also favourites with poster designers. But whatever is pictured on a poster, this courier of commerce must have these important features : it must be new and interesting, have atten tion-value, simplicity of design, brevity of text, good composition, pleasing colours, and "selling power"—the latter usually achieved through expression of a basic link of interest between the product and the public.

Great strides have been made in the development of the poster as an organized advertising medium. Modern business in America has discarded the old-fashioned and unkempt "billboard," and posters of various sizes are no longer made. Due to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, there has come the standard structure in two sizes surrounded by a green moulding as a frame for the poster. These standard panels are found in over 16,000 cities and towns in the United States. Many of these structures are illuminated.

In Great Britain, hoardings, though not standardized, have greatly improved in character and design, under the influence of the British Poster Advertising Association. In Germany a poster hoarding is practically unknown, the design being shown on special advertising kiosks or pillars. France uses both kiosks and hoard ings. (See PAINTING; ADVERTISING.)