Why We Love Vintage Posters

The popularity of posters had a sharp upward surge in popularity 10-15 years ago, and was directly attributed to the booming industry of vintage art. The increasing number of vintage poster collectors through the years, and the dwindling supply of authentic vintage posters have caused the price of these posters to become even heftier. An authentic one can cost thousands of dollars, and we're not even talking about the remaining originals that date back in the late 19th century. It's the perfect example of how the law of supply and demand works. This steady price increase is hard proof that collecting vintage posters is a good form of investment. It might be even more lucrative than the stock market. And it's highly unlikely that the demand for vintage posters is going to go down any time soon.

Jules Cheret was the first to have ever conceived the idea of poster making. He was an artist in France, who used posters as the means to advertise his business. Because of this ingenuity, he was awarded the Legion of Honor 1899. Many of the French people followed suit, and has used poster art to aggrandize and promote their respective businesses. The art of poster making has also spread in the Atlantic, and to many parts of Europe and North America. There was an estimated amount of 6,000 staunch collectors in North America alone by 1896. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since original vintage posters are very expensive and rare in the market, corporations have resorted to reproducing the originals, with the idea that they are going to sell like hot cakes. They weren't wrong on that premise. A reproduced copy can cost from $100-$500. They even used the original process of poster making, which is the lithographic printing process, to create reproductions. From that point on, people from the middle class who have wanted to own vintage posters but can't afford it are now able to purchase these reproductions without being much poorer for it. And a hardcore collector who has lost the bidding for a very important vintage piece, are likely to settle for a reproduction to fill up the vacancy of his vintage poster collection.

You would think that reprinted copies would cause the demand for the originals to go down. On the contrary, it even increased at an exponential rate. When people see the reproductions, they start to entertain the idea of buying the original copy. What better way to advertise the original than by showcasing the pirated form by the hundreds? Furthermore, the affordability of the reproductions allowed more people to have their own pieces of nostalgic art.

Vintage posters have permeated the twilight fancies and artistic sensibilities of the general public. It emanates a certain glow, a soulful ambiance into any room that it adorns. Connoisseurs understand that art is timeless, and having a piece of history produces an exaltation of that specific era a piece of art represents.