Preserving travel memories   Article and photos by LinDee Rochelle ● For Antiques & Collectibles Journal Volume 1 Number 6, August 2007     How many times have you excitedly exclaimed, “Let’s take a trip to __________”? Fill in the blank with your favorite city, country, or famous attraction and many times a new collector is born. “Most people who collect travel posters have ‘been there,’” said Manuel Garcia of La Belle Epoque Vintage Posters in New York. While there are a myriad of reasons to collect striking, eclectic posters that speak to the heart of our wanderlust, the artist, era, and mode of transportation can be equally desirable.   But don’t ask for a vintage poster infused with lots of pink or red. The artist would “roll over in his grave,” Garcia said with a chuckle, to think someone would buy a poster for its colors. He does however, know of a collector who bought several expensive, vintage posters to redecorate according to the seasons. Whatever your reason, if you are fascinated and curious about this vivacious advertising-turned-art form that enticed our ancestors to explore distant places, and haven’t purchased your first collectible yet, you had better do it now. Poster prices are going up.   Price categories start relatively low at La Belle Epoque (named for the French era that heralded poster art, generally viewed as 1895 to 1914), but regularly include sales at $20,000 and more. What makes a high-dollar poster sale? Rarity and condition, of course. But in some cases, it’s something as simple as enhanced publicity. In the travel genre for instance, La Belle Epoque offers a hard-to-find Roger Broders (1883-1953) poster from the 1930s for $12,500 (26 inches by 40 inches). “Four or five years ago,” said Garcia of the captivating ski scene for Sports D’Hiver, “it was going for $8,000.” The 2003 publication of Roger Broders Travel Posters by Alain Weill and Israel Perry (Queen of Art Publishers), raised the bar on Broders’ prices. “The book certainly created a buzz,” said Garcia.   Broders bargains may still pop up now and again on eBay. A recent original 1920s Menton, France, travel poster in what appeared to be good condition, started at a “no reserve” $9.99, capping out with a winning bid of only $1,865. A brief biography of Broders at SarahStocking.com reports that while he “visited every place he drew, he did not participate in any of the sports he often recreated in his images.” That certainly didn’t hamper his vibrant style and with fewer than 100 posters to his name—not all travel—Broders cemented his lofty place in travel poster history. You can find other interesting mini-biographies of poster artists and a shopping cart at the Internet home for Sarah Stocking Gallery, or stroll through the live version at 368 Jackson Street, San Francisco. Broders isn’t the only poster artist commanding big bucks. In 2006, Swann Galleries, New York, sold an exceptional New York Central Lines poster by Jon O. Brubaker (1875-?) promoting travel to “California / America’s Vacation Land” for a golden $20,400 (1925, 39 inches by 26 inches). And while we sometimes like to collect artists and seek out extraordinary works by the masters, there’s something to be said for “Mr. Anonymous,” too. Swann reported a 2003 sale of an 1896 poster for San Francisco’s “Sutro Baths,” by an unknown artist, at $14,950 (93 inches by 86 inches).   Thrifty collectors troll eBay and may be able to save a few dollars, but shopping online for your travel posters can be a tenuous and daunting journey. The same rule applies in cyberspace as in your own neighborhood. Know your dealer. Travel poster treasures can be found, like the 1960s David Klein (1918-2005) “San Francisco Fly TWA.” The whimsical cable car poster (40 inches by 25 inches) ultimately sold for a reasonable $305. Sold by veteran EBay antiques dealer, Mark Romano (Collectordepot, #2803), the poster was part of a find all collectors and dealers live for—he bought 75 rolled posters in a flea market last year, for $300. On eBay, the Klein poster alone, paid for all 75 pieces and the buyer got a great deal.   You may be shopping to resell for profit, but many eBay sellers simply need to clean out a closet. Are you one whose long-gone loved one left piles of stuff in the attic? Who has time to go through it all, right? Judy Pilsifier, a long-time eBay seller (http://myworld.ebay.com/jprpent, #1554) and her husband are glad they finally dug through his grandfather’s belongings, who died in 1978. During a long career in railroading, he purchased hundreds of railway travel posters, but rarely displayed them. The Pilsifiers recently rediscovered them rolled and stored. A Gustav Wilhelm Krollman (1888-1962) original poster in A+ mint condition sold for $1,182. The Northern Pacific Railway poster for “Montana” (40 inches by 30-1/2 inches) had been stowed away in its original tube for more than 70 years.   George Parker, owner of Parkers’ Posters with wife, Arlene (www.parkersposters.com), raised an eyebrow at the Montana’s winning bid, saying a dealer could have fetched $3,000 to $5,000 for the Krollman poster. His “Mt. St. Helens” poster (28-1/4 inches by 38-1/2 inches) for the same railway and artist is priced at only $1,400, but he cites many factors in the pricing of posters. Condition, rarity, popularity of the artist, the composition, how a poster is acquired, and method of sale—by an individual, dealer, wholesaler, or online vs. storefront—are just a few of the standards that measure into the value.   The Parkers use their Web site as an online gallery and affably answer any questions regarding a poster displayed. But the real fun is in visiting their San Diego location where a large (48-1/4 inches by 74 inches) stone lithograph from the 1890s, for instance, featuring a stylish lady and her dog tempting you to join her shopping in France, can capture your heart (artist anonymous, $2,200). Better yet, you can see the amazing detail of a Baja-aeromexico poster (21-1/2 inches by 34-3/4 inches) that was obviously printed from an original, embroidered piece (artist anonymous, $350). The Parkers’ annual summer show, delayed when a vehicle slammed through the front window of the gallery, should be on display by mid-August (fortunately, little damage was done to inventory). Collectors of the sunny colors and exotic destinations of summer travel shouldn’t miss this opportunity.   Cross collecting runs rampant in this business and travel posters are no exception. Do you enjoy armchair vacations with your collection of world destinations? Or does a group of cityscapes—a prolific travel poster theme—complement your urban décor? Maybe you clap your hands like a kid when it comes to trains—pair that with the bold lines of Art Deco and you can collect the travel poster art of Adolphe Mouron Cassandre (1901-1968). Cassandre is a “poster artist rather than an artist who designed posters,” says the Railway Posters 1923-1947 book by Beverley Cole and Richard Durack (2000). His broad strokes and bold colors lured scores of tourists to travel the rails of Paris.             Many a journey begins with a daydream. Antique and vintage travel posters help us hold on to the romance of the dream and the adventure, long after our bags are unpacked.   # # # Preserving travel memories-article and photos, copyright 2007, L. Rochelle.