There are many forms of lithography including linocut, letterpress, offset lithography, silkscreen and photolithography, but many of the original fine art posters were produced using stone. This printing process takes many hours of painstaking work by an artist to draw or trace images onto meticulously prepared limestone blocks. A highly-skilled printer will then load up the press with inks, coloured oils and paper and begin the rolling process to produce individual artworks.

By the late 1940s, Pablo Picasso was exploring lithography at the Mourlot studios and creating exciting new artworks. It was a natural progression to roll out a picture featured in his forthcoming exhibitions, design lettering for gallery locations and dates, and use for advertising. Other artists, printers and galleries began to do the same with print runs varying from a few hundred copies to several thousand. Each poster was, and remains, unique. Collectors were as keen then as they are now to own a piece of genuine art history from a big-name artist for a fraction of the price of a painting.

The French painter Toulouse-Lautrec made his name in Paris in the late 1800s designing the iconic coloured lithographs of cabaret dancers to promote shows. Museums and art galleries were quick to follow with their own advertisements for shop windows and small billboards.

We scour French flea markets, international auction houses and private collections across Europe and beyond for authentic, original posters at the best prices.

Some date back to the late 1940s while many are from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

It varies, and priced accordingly. Each one, whatever the age, has a story. No two are the same; from perfect to worn – every stain, crease, tear and frayed edge plays its part in its individual journey from printing press to ‘billboard’ and poster to frame for today’s pictorial value. Some are from a small print run making their existence more remarkable, others have survived the rigours of time, and many just have ‘buy me’ at any cost for the vibrancy of a poster touched by the genius who created them.

Some are ready to hang but we can arrange a bespoke service for all unframed posters. Framing costs are subject to size, material, style and may take up to a month to to prepare and deliver. As a guide, we would typically estimate an oak or charcoal frame to be £100 and a silver frame to be £150.

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