Gallery
Vintage Originals
Original vintage posters first started appearing on the streets of
Europe, most notably Paris, in the second half of the 19th century.
Almost every facet of life: what was worn, eaten, drank; where we
traveled to, how we got there, what we did when we arrived was
advertised in posters. Posters were designed for the theatre, social
and political causes, and even wars. Vintage posters are by definition
advertising art. People have used the terms, “Art of the street” or
“The people’s art”. During the height of their popularity, laws were
passed limiting where posters could be placed, as walls were becoming
totally covered.
About 100 years later, I was walking through Paris and the color and
gaiety of some posters by Jules Cheret caught my attention. The
purchase of a few posters as decoration for my home was the start of a
hobby that led to Christopher & Co. some 20 years later. Our
collection spans the Belle Epoque, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco periods.
However, we are best known around the world for our collection of original ski posters.
Giclee Reproductions
Giclee (zhee-clay) is a generic term to describe a digital print
process used in fine art reproductions. Giclee is a French word
(meaning squirt of ink) to describe a print from an inkjet printer, in
the past primarily for IRIS proofs of offset print runs. The term was
coined in 1991 by Jack Duganne of Nash Productions (Graham Nash).
Typically giclee printers use 8 to 12 colors (as opposed to 4 for
standard print processes) for truer color reproduction.
But as with all products, the quality of giclee reproductions can vary
widely based on the provider. The quality of the final giclee print is
dependent upon several factors. The first step in the process is
creating a digital image from the original, therefore the quality and
condition of the original poster and the quality of the photographer’s
equipment are integral pieces of the process; so too the quality of the
paper, inks, and the printer hardware itself. Finally, the skill of
the printer and his eye for remastering the color in the final digital
image all combine to determine how the giclee print will look on your
wall.
We understand this and use the best photographers and highest quality
materials that we have found, and all of our reproductions are produced
from original posters that we have owned, or currently own. I stand
behind the quality of my prints and can not and will not produce these
for the cost of many you might see on the web. You might pay a little
more for one of our prints but the difference is one that is well worth
it. Caveat emptor!
Make no mistake, original, vintage posters are my first love in art. I
began supplying giclee reproductions due to the increased scarcity of
originals. I see the giclee process as a desirable and needed adjunct
to preserve and make more widely available the disappearing images of
early poster art.