Posted 12 years ago
shell59
(19 items)
Hi, I thought I would share this. I was looking at an art print my Grandmother had and I opened it up to see what it was made out of. When I pulled off the cardboard I saw that it was movie memoribilia. The Co. Radio Picture Frame Co. Inc. that made the picture also made the movies and cards (RKO). On the bottom of the Movie Window Card it says must be returned to Radio Pictures Inc. ect. If it was not cut down to fit the picture it would have been worth about $1,000.00. That is what I was told by movie memoribilia person. The movie had Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and was called Follow the Fleet. It was a box office hit in 1936. The Window Card is an original 1936 (along with the art print). I just thought it was fascinating, they were recycling even back then.
Michelle
So many vintage posters and window cards are found hidden in between other posters, books, and mirrors it's unbelievable! I have found some poster gems this way myself. This 1936 window card in full, should measure approximately 14" x 22" and the bill would have been placed at the TOP. Looks like this window card was also cut in a few other places as well in order to become the backboard for your grandmother's art print. If only they had known what the value would have been today......the bright side is you have rescued part of it. Nice find!
Thanks, I had a lot of fun with it that's for sure. If not for this site I probably wouldn't have given it a second look.
Beautiful!
Thanks Bellin, Mikko and Phil, the art print was my Grandmas and is worth more than the poster ( I think) it is a Lithograph. Too bad it wasn't the whole poster it was still fun finding it though.
This is absolutely a lithograph. It is either a stone litho or an offset litho. Stone lithographs were drawn completely by hand onto stones, and offsets were transferred (offset) from a plate for printing.
The easiest way to tell the difference is to look at the poster under close magnification. Marks from a stone litho or hand made lithograph will show a random dot pattern, and most likely will have ink overlay on top of different color inks. Prints from an offset press will show a mechanical dot pattern similar to that of a comic strip in old newspapers.
Hi, thanks, I had figured out it was a Litho because in the far bottom right corner it says in very tiny letters ( I can only read it with a loop) G P 1816 and underneath that it says Litho U.S.A. and a larger letter I think a C but it is so far in the corner it is really hard to see. I didn't know about the different kinds of Lithos though. It does have have ink colors over other ink colors. What does it mean if it is a hand made litho, I mean besides the obvious are they more rare? Do you have any idea what G P means?
Shell59,
Be aware that just because a poster says "Litho U.S.A." or "Strobridge Litho" or any other lithography company on it doesn't always mean it truly IS an original lithograph. Many re-pops (reproductions) will have the original name of the lithographer reproduced on the poster as well as the image.
That being said, the fact that your poster here is from 1936 and it has been hiding behind your grandmother's artwork for some time would lead me to believe it is an original. The fact that you have color overlay would lead me to believe it is a stone lithograph.
When a HAND lithograph is made the artist draws the image directly onto the printing element such as stone, aluminum, mylar, etc. From this drawing the prints are inked and pulled by hand presses. Each color requires a different drawing! Each print records the unique mark of the artist and their hand. NO handmade lithograph print is ever the same!
When prints are made from OFFSET lithography, the original artwork such as a painting, drawing, or watercolor is taken to a commercial printer. The printer photographs the original and creates a negative from that original and a photographic plate is made for mass printing. Due to commercial printing, the mark of the artist is lost in translation.
As far as value, lithography processes do NOT determine the value of a poster. Condition and rarity does. There are many offset lithos that are far more valuable than stone lithos. The only difference between the 2 is the way they are made. In my personal opinion, I prefer stone lithographs over any other type of lithography simply for the fact that these took true talent and a true artist to create. The artistry and vibrant colors that went into creating stone lithographs can never be duplicated even with today's technology. The flip side to this is that not all vintage posters were created by hand. Original WW2 posters for example were mostly offsets, but still great images that are scarce today and highly collectible.
I hope I was of some help to you. If you have any more questions please feel free to contact me by email.
zguy2112@earthlink.net
Wow, thanks, that is all so fascinating. I can not find an artist signature anywhere. You would think they would want to sign it after the work that goes into it. I did read that they would sign lithos in pencil so the signatures could not be reproduced easily. You have been a huge help.
Shell59,
Signatures in pencil, or any signatures for that matter were usually done and still are on limited edition fine art lithographs such as Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein pieces that were limited in number. Signatures on vintage advertising posters were seldom done, and never in pencil. If they were signed by the artists, thier signature was printed into the image itself.
Oh darn, I wanted to know the artists name. I guess that's not going to happen. I have learned so much. That picture opened a whole can of worms for me. There is so much to learn about art.
shell59,
I'm glad I was of some help. I have a few examples of artist signed original lithograph posters on my page if you would like to see what I am talking about. The 2 posters off the top of my head signed are the "Carrere" poster and the "Someone Talked" poster. Both signatures are at the bottom of the posters and were printed within the poster image.
You have a very nice collection. Do the lithographs also kind of look like they have waffle or weird shapes when you look at them through the loop?
Thanks Shell59,
The patterns of a lithograph should always appear random, NOT mechanical or in any type of unity. It is hard to confirm what you are asking without seeing it for myself, but I am sure you have an original based on what you have stated so far.
Glad you enjoy my growing poster collection. More posters to come. Take care for now.