Movie Poster Collecting
There is a great deal of history behind movie posters and movie poster collecting. Jules Cheret, who created 2 movie posters in the 1890's, was the artist given credit for creating the first movie posters. It was in this early period in movie history, however, that movie studios realized movie stars were as much of an attraction to the moviegoer as the movie itself. Thus, the movie star was born, and movie posters began showcasing actors' names along with the title of the movie.By the 1920's, the golden age of silent movies, movie posters became more artistic and spectacular, with accomplished artists being hired by movie studios to paint portraits of the stars for posters. By the late 1920's, movie poster images became sharper due to a new printing process developed by the Morgan Litho Company.
In the 1930's, also known in the movie industry as "The Golden Age of Movies", another style of movie poster was created, the half sheet. The movie industry cut advertising costs and used cheaper paper for posters due to the paper shortage of wartime.
By the 1970's, movie posters used photography, occasionally using drawing and painting styles. Movie posters at this time were being printed on a clay-coated paper, which gave them a glossy finish. Star Wars and Star Trek posters were the most popular posters of the time and are still collected by many today.
