Defining the Vintage Poster

Art Business News, April, 2001

So what makes a vintage poster vintage? Axelle Gallery consultant Mitch Plotkin has a simple answer. "It must be printed in the time period," he explained. "For example, a turn-of-the century poster would have had to be printed during the turn of the century, not five years ago." But the general timeline for vintage posters runs from the creation of stone lithographs to World War II posters, Plotkin added.

Park South Gallery's Laura Gold holds vintage posters to the same criteria as any antique. "I believe that a vintage anything should be at least 50 years old--which is the guide used to gauge an antique," she said.

Categories of vintage posters run the gamut. Vintage movie posters are top sellers, but so are travel ads and war posters. Popular turn-of-the century images include bicycles, cafe, concerts, theatre and opera advertisements, drinks and other products, Gold said. Bruce McGaw, co-owner and chairman of Bruce McGaw Graphics, said he's seen a shift recently in which vintage poster reproductions his customers are buying. "We're selling more `20s, `30s and `40s advertising posters," he said. "More American-looking prints--fashion or skiing or golf. Not necessarily the famous ones, like Lautrec."

It's still the big names, however, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cheret, Mucha, Steinlen, Capiello and Cassandre, who bring in the big bucks.