COLLECTING TIPS
Occasional Articles on Collecting Antique Prints and Maps, Illustrated Books,
Vintage Magazines and Ephemera
CHROMOLITHOGRAPHS & CHROMOS: FINE ART FOR THE MASSES
The 1800s saw the development of lithography (printing from a stone matrix) to fill the demands of a rapidly expanding consumer market; the chromolithograph, a lithograph printed in colors, became widely used to reproduce “fine art” paintings or watercolors for that market. At its highpoint, the “chromo” is a technological marvel, involving an advanced knowledge of color and exact registration necessary to reproduce an image using as many as 20 (or more) stones. Unlike the tinted lithograph, which involves two or three stones, with the image printed from one stone, with the chromolithograph the image is built up in color from the application of many different stones. In his detailed and fascinating book “The Democratic Art: Pictures for a 19th-Century America” (Boston: David R.Godine, 1979) touches on many aspects of the chromo and its production in 19th century America.
The oleograph is a term used to refer to chromolithographs printed with oil inks on paper embossed to imitate the look of canvas. The print might be glued to a stretched canvas and varnished so that it could be displayed in the parlor in exact imitation of a more expensive oil painting.
Chromolithography was widely used in the mid to late 19th century for all kinds of publications, including illustrations for books and magazines. The term “chromo” is most commonly used to apply to prints individually published for decorative display. The fascination with chromos is apparent from the articles published in popular magazines of the period giving detailed information on the printing process, including an article from The Christian Weekly of 1874 and one from Demorest’s Family Magazine of 1892. (Please check back soon for excerpts of these articles)
Collecting Paper Ephemera: travel brochures, railway guides, cruise line booklets, railroad maps, trade catalogs and so much more
Paper ephemera (as in "ephemeral" or "transient") covers a very wide range of printed material: from theatre tickets to luggage labels to travel brochures to merchandise catalogs, the lists goes on and on. Usually printed in large quantities, meant to be used and then discarded, this area of printed material is often much harder to find than more conventionally "prized" items such as books. It can make a fascinating area of collecting in and of itself, or give breadth to a collection of varied materials on a particular theme (for example items from a particular railroad line). While pre-1900 material has for some time been sought after, museums and libraries are increasingly aware of the special qualities of 20th century ephemera, and using it in museum exhibits and adding it to special collections. This material is often very graphically inviting, and conveys in word and image the world of popular culture of the day, with all its nuances. This area of paper memorabilia has always particularly appealed to me, as it encompasses so well my twin interests: great graphic design and insight into different cultures and times.
Some types of paper ephemera that make for fascinating collections are:
trade or merchandise catalogs: if you have a vintage clothing collection, add some fashion catalogs to the mix!
transportation related ephemera: booklets and brochures from railroads, cruise lines, carriage or automobile makers (also included in the trade catalog category), aviation and airline pamphlets
travel brochures and guide books
ephemera with maps: usually also falling into the two categories above ... The maps are often graphically rich bird's eye view or pictorial maps
vintage posters: produced to advertise a product, be affixed where they can be seen and then thrown away: browse our current selection of
Vintage Posters
Often ephemera will fold out into large and stunning posters and maps. These can be framed to striking effect. If the folds are a concern, consider having the item linen backed. This is a reversible mounting method (with acid free materials) commonly used with posters but which can also be used with folded pamphlets and brochures to make the folds all but invisible and enhance the graphic potential.
COLLECTING VINTAGE FORTUNE MAGAZINES & FORTUNE MAGAZINE COVERS
Fortune magazine, the premier American business magazine, was founded by Henry Luce in 1929 (with its first issue in February 1930) to celebrate American business: "American business has importance - even majesty - so the magazine in which we are able to interpret it will look and feel important - even majestic." Sparing no expense, he recruited the premier journalists, graphic designers and illustrators and created a magazine which is in the top ranks of twentieth century magazines in both content, graphic presentation and printing quality. The stunning covers are collected for their striking graphics; we prefer to offer the complete magazines to collectors so as to preserve the intrinsic interest and value of the magazine. If you would like to display the cover of the magazine you might consider having the whole magazine framed - this way you get the best of both worlds! Well known illustrators who did covers for the magazine include: T.M. Cleland, Ernest Hamlin Baker, Diego Rivera, F.V. Carpenter, Roger Duvoisin, Bertha Lum, Antonio Petrucelli, Norman Reeves, Joseph Binder. The most collectible Fortune magazine covers are from the early years of the magazine until the early 1940s. While there are many superior covers from the war years many of them have a more serious note, and were indeed excellent propaganda images. The magazine size was reduced due to the paper shortage during World War II and after the war there was more emphasis on content and less on lavish presentation.
Please
browse our Fortune Magazine List.
