An example of a “Mad Men” Era poster from the 1950’s
TRAVEL POSTERS:
The thought of travel has us all dreaming… I recently had the pleasure of listening to a wonderful presentation on vintage travel posters by the preeminent expert in the field, Mr. Nico Lowry of Swann Galleries NYC. Here are some excerpts from his talk:
Image courtesy of Invaluable.com by Carlo Cussetti, c 1890’s “Rome” sold for 340 Euros in March 2019.
EUROPEAN TRAVEL POSTERS:
Earliest posters were made in the 1870’s and became popular in the 1890’s. Railroads commissioned these posters to encourage railway passage. Early versions were “simili-aquarelle prints” (a labor and capital intense 20-color process) rendering beautiful landscapes. Important artists of the time: Cussetti, Politzer, and D’Alési. Posters value between ($300-1,200 USD) from this period. Around 1895, beautiful people were added to landscapes. Around the turn of the century there was a move away from the static photos to a more dynamic approach. A novel idea came into focus in 1910: “dreaming about traveling”. Important artists at this time: Ploz, and Tauzin, with values ranging in the $2,000-$4,000 USD range.
Image from AlemyStock of 1903 Delaware & Hudson Railways travel poster valued at $8,000-12,000 USD.
US TRAVEL POSTERS:
These were far less pictoral than European counterparts. In the 1880s-1890s, they were more simply designed, but yet still very desirable by collectors ($2000-$3000 USD). Biggest determinant of value (given no condition issues) was destination in the subject matter. They tended to have more fine detailing because they were engravings not lithographs. They are treated more as historical documents. In 1903, Delaware & Hudson Railways made a series of railway destination posters advertising stops along their Northeast corridor route, and these sell for between $8000-12,000 USD.
Image courtesy of Elbe.paris of Duval’s 1920 “Mont St Michel” poster valued at $1,500-$2,000 USD.
Courtesy of Swann Galleries, Percival Trompf’s Bondi Beach scene 1935, on offer for $10,000-$15,000 USD.
FRENCH TRAVEL POSTERS:
After WWI, there were many lithographs produced again featuring watercolor landscapes. The most famous artist at this point was Julian Lacaze ($800-1,200 USD). Colors, locations, and the decorative subject matter are all important to values from this time. Mont St Michel was a popular subject, best depicted by Duval in 1920 ($1,500-$2,000 USD). Around the mid 1920’s, activities, adventure, and lifestyles began to show up in the subject matter of the travel destinations. Fashionable models, fahsionable clothes, and interpretive scenes added to the allure of travel. Important artists at this time were Soubie, Broders, Trompf, Bickel, and Migliorati. Prices for images of exciting destinations such as Chamonix, St Moritz, the Italian Riviera, or Bondi Beach can fetch up to $15,000 USD at auction.
Image by Christies.com of Adolphe Mouron Cassandre’s Nord Express/ Normandie 1935 sold in 2015 for 10,625 GBP.
GOLDEN AGE OF TRAVEL POSTERS;
During the Art Deco phase of art history (circa 1930’s), modernized views and stylized typography elevated the travel poster to the height of popularity. Germany, USSR, French governments, desperate for visitors and dollars after the war, made editions in several different languages to attract tourists. Important artists at this time were Commarmond, Broders, Kauffer, and AM Cassandre. Works created during this time can fetch up to $30,000 USD or more.
1939 World Fair NY/SF and 1936 Olympics in Germany represent desirable niche poster markets.
from Invaluable.com by Joseph Binder, 1939 “World’s Fair” sold for $460 USD in 2014.
Herbert Matter was the first to incorporate photo montages in 1936 and his posters can realize $2,000-3,000 USD each.
Herbert Matter Photo Montages for Swiss Tourism can fetch up to $7,000 USD at auction.
During the “Mad-Men” era of the 1950’s the shift was away from railway travel and onto airline travel and a new type of poster emerged.
Image from Aproposter.com Stan Galli 1955 for United Airlines estimate $1,000-$2,000 USD.
A very big thank you to Nico Lowry for this amazing presentation, and to the Appraisers Association of America who organized this talk during their Valuation Summit of 2020. If you have something similar in your collection, contact Mr. Lowry to learn more about valuation and deaccessioning options at auction: 212-254-4710 ext. 53.