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Mid-Century Modern Posters

MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE

Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.

ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.

Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively. 

Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer

Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.

The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by celebrated manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.

As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.

Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.

Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.

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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Original 1952 Chanel Advertisement from Femina Magazine – Framed Vintage Fashion
Located in Hamburg, DE
This original vintage advertisement, taken from the French magazine Femina dated 1952, is a rare and charming piece of fashion history. It is not a reproduction or reprint, but an au...
Category

1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Paper

A rare reproduction of the Coca Cola umbrella girls in a rustic red frame
Located in Houston, TX
A rare reproduction of the Coca Cola umbrella girls in a rustic red frame. Festoon art is originally designed in 1918. Frame has some wear but overall in good condition. 27” H x 33...
Category

1970s Unknown Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Wood

Vintage Swedish Mid-Century Physics Educational Diagram
Located in Atlanta, GA
Vintage Swedish Mid-Century Physics instructional educational diagram, chart or poster. Highly collectible ephemera from 1950's Sweden.
Category

1950s Swedish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Paper

Vintage Anatomical Pull Down Chart 'Osteology, GH Michel Company
By G.H. Michel Company
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage Anatomical Pull Down Chart 'OSTEOLOGY ,GH Michel Company,Black background,amazing color contrast.Beautifully screened printed,linen backed.S...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Linen, Paper

Paolo Collini, The Distrustful Light, 1990s, Lithograph
By René Magritte
Located in LA FERTÉ-SOUS-JOUARRE, FR
Original lithograph by the artist titled: La Luce diffidenta / The Distrustful Light. Lithograph is signed at the bottom right and numbered 98/125. Created in 1993. A certificate of...
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Paper

1967 Hopetown International Moto Cross Poster by Earl Newman
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A vintage 1967 Dirt Diggers Hopetown motorcycle Grand Prix and International Moto Cross poster by California artist Earl Newman. Signed in the plate this was one of the earliest uses...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Paper

Original Exhibition Poster of Picasso, Germany, 1965
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Original exhibition poster of Picasso, Framed, Edition of 2000, Printed by Schwenk-Wilk, Francfort, 1965, Germany, 1965. Measures: 58 x 84 cm. Bib...
Category

1960s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Paper

Laurel&Oliver Hardy 2 ritten nach texas/Way Out West Gunther Kieser '60 movie
Located in Biella, IT
Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy 2 ritten nach texas / Way Out West by Gunther Kieser & Hans Michel years '60, Fsk freigegeben movie the poster has an elegant frame in wood and is in use...
Category

1960s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Wood, Paper

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1967 You Only Live Twice Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Released in 1967, You Only Live Twice is the fifth outing of Sean Connery as James Bond. One of the absolutely quintessential Bond films, it features the first appearance of Blofeld ...
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1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Vintage Human Body Educational Model / Anatomical Model, circa 1940s
Located in Lucenec, SK
Fantastic looking vintage anatomical model of a full human body on a black granite base. The height of the model with base (4 cm) is 82 cm. Unfortunately, removable parts are missing.
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Vintage Human Body Educational Model / Anatomical Model, circa 1940s
Vintage Human Body Educational Model / Anatomical Model, circa 1940s
$1,060 Sale Price
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H 31.5 in W 9.85 in D 7.88 in
Original Buffalo Bill Movie Banners 84"Long
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Selling as a pair - Banner from the Robert Altman's 1976 film Buffalo Bill and the Indians; and Sitting Bull's History Lesson staring Paul Newman. Looks m...
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1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Original Buffalo Bill Movie Banners 84"Long
Original Buffalo Bill Movie Banners 84"Long
$40,000 / set
H 84 in W 33 in D 2 in
Édouard Bouillière - Toulouse City Poster from 1920
Located in PAU, FR
Old art deco poster of the city of Toulouse circa 1940. Designed by Édouard Bouillière and published by Affiches B.Sirven. 79 x 58.5 cm
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1920s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Paper

French School Teacher Educational Paintings "La Pipe", circa 1930s
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Painted by a school teacher in rural Hautes Pyrenees, France. Based on the Toto, Lili, Rene and Jojo French educational stories. It is likely that the s...
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1930s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Large University Anatomical Chart “Bones” by Turner
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large University anatomical chart “Bones” by Turner W&A K Johnston’s Charts of Anatomy and Physiology by Dr William Turner, Professor of Anatomy Un...
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Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Painter Anatomical Skull
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this painter anatomical human skull, circa 1970. This skull was acquired from a painter's studio, the skull was painted with oil paint.
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1970s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Plaster

Painter Anatomical Skull
Painter Anatomical Skull
$700
H 11.82 in W 8.67 in D 11.03 in
Eden Hashish Centre Kathmandu Ganesh Poster 1974 Calendar
Located in New York, NY
Eden Hashish Centre Ganesh poster by acclaimed Indian artist S. Murugakani. with original 1974 calendar attached. Framed in custom brass framed glass frame and tin back, with hange...
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1970s Nepalese Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Italian or German anatomical bust.
Located in Lugo, IT
Italian or German anatomical bust. The profile photos are without organs. The measurements refer to the wooden base. The conditions are as per the phot...
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1890s German Antique Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Gesso, Wood

Italian or German anatomical bust.
Italian or German anatomical bust.
$4,170
H 31.5 in W 16.15 in D 9.65 in
Heart Anatomical Model Life Size
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1940, Germany. We offer this Heart Anatomical Model Life Size. Made in rubber and handmade painted.
Category

1940s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Wood, Rubber

Heart Anatomical Model Life Size
Heart Anatomical Model Life Size
$1,200
H 19.69 in Dm 7.09 in
Vintage Airline Poster of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand, ca.1960
Located in Langweer, NL
Vintage poster of New Zealand / Go There by NAC. Wellington: R.E. Owen, ca. 1960s. Photographic lithograph of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown. ...
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Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Vintage Airline Poster of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand, ca.1960
Vintage Airline Poster of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand, ca.1960
$1,200 Sale Price
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H 38.5 in W 25 in D 0.002 in
Vintage Electric Company Meter Lamp
Located in Hanover, MA
This is a wonderful piece of suburban folk art and mid-century Americana. It is a vintage 'bench made' table lamp incorporating an actual working electric company meter. When the l...
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1920s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Vintage Electric Company Meter Lamp
Vintage Electric Company Meter Lamp
$1,250
H 25 in W 5.5 in D 9 in
Previously Available Items
Midcentury Bitter S. Maria Poster
Located in Milano, IT
Rare vintage advertising poster of Bitter S. Maria from the 1950s. The poster has a rather small rectangular shape, with a wooden frame that allows it to be hung. The poster was spo...
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1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Midcentury Bitter S. Maria Poster
Midcentury Bitter S. Maria Poster
H 40.16 in W 28.35 in D 0.99 in
Midcentury Coca Cola Poster
Located in Milano, IT
Rare and extravagant vintage Coca Cola advertising poster from the 1950s. The poster has a fairly small rectangular shape, with a wooden frame that allows it to be hung. The poster ...
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1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Canvas, Wood

Midcentury Coca Cola Poster
Midcentury Coca Cola Poster
H 27.56 in W 46.07 in D 0.99 in
1950 Bally Shoe Advertising Poster Framed
Located in Surrey, BC
Original shoe poster designed by Herve MORVAN for Bally shoes showing all identification and certification, .framed in a simple glass set up.
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1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Botanical prints "Edizioni d'arte Remondini", Italy 1950s
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
Botanical prints "Edizioni d'arte Remondini", Italy 1950s. A 1950s vintage botanical drawing by "Edizioni d'arte Remondini" printed by "Graf...
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1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Triptych of Op-Art Serigraphies Made and Signed by Yvaral - Jean-Pierre Vasarely
Located in Doornspijk, NL
These three expressive geometric shapes are indentical, but their strong colors (purple, blue and orange) give each work a true personality. The serigraphies on paper are signed and...
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1980s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Vintage Quiet Please Nurse Sign
Located in Essex, MA
A vintage Quiet Please sign from a hospital, featuring an attractive and well groomed nurse in her white uniform, admonishing visitors to be quiet, with h...
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Vintage Quiet Please Nurse Sign
Vintage Quiet Please Nurse Sign
H 17.13 in W 13.13 in D 0.75 in
Vintage Anatomical Pull Down Chart 'Nervous Systems, GH Michel Company
By G.H. Michel Company
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage Anatomical Pull Down Chart 'ARTERIAL VENOUS & NERVOUS SYSTEMS ,GH Michel Company,Beautifully screened printed,linen backed.
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

Materials

Linen, Paper

Karel Appel Litho Poster, Art Fair Washington
Located in Den Haag, NL
Karel Appel Litho Poster, art fair Washington. L'elogue de la folie, Julliete Halioua New York. New old stock poster.
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1970s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Karel Appel Litho Poster, Art Fair Washington
Karel Appel Litho Poster, Art Fair Washington
H 31.7 in W 20.08 in D 0.01 in
Karel Appel New Old Stock Lithograph Poster, Galerie Ariel, Paris, 1974
Located in Den Haag, NL
Karel Appel New Old Stock litho Poster, Galerie Ariel, Paris 1974 Parrot Image, printed by Arte Paris
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1970s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Posters

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Paper

Mid-century Modern posters for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern posters for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage posters created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include folk art, wall decorations, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with paper, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern posters made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and Germany pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original posters, popular names associated with this style include Earl Newman, G.H. Michel Company, and Guenter Kieser. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for posters differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $423 and tops out at $3,883 while the average work can sell for $883.

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