American Posters

Original antique cruise travel poster - To Europe by Canadian Pacific - featuring a great image of a black and red ship with two funnels at sea below the bold red and black lettering...

This is a colorful 1903 lithographic Barnum & Bailey circus poster, announcing “The Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth.” The dynamic, involved composition features the iconic "Tw...

Original 1900s U.S. poster for. Very good-fine condition. Please note: the size is stated in inches and the actual size can vary by an inch or more.  

Rare piece of Americana; an advertising item that would have been hanging in a general store in rural America at the turn of the century, singing the praises and virtues of using Frazer Axle grease, and lamenting what happens when not applied; a product used obviously for lubricating the wheels and axles of horse drawn carts and wagons. This is an original self framed tin sign, manufactured circa 1900 by the American Art Works Company, established in 1895 in Coshocton, Ohio (See image; label and logo in lower right hand corner). They would eventually go on to merge with similar type companies and become the Meeks Company. The Frazer Axle Grease company would have commissioned American Art Works to produce the sign and then they would have distributed it to their jobbers, retailers and sellers. The sign is in excellent condition; there is no rust, and the colors are nice and bright. The term "self framed" references the 3" black border which is part of the entire composition; a 1" border is then folded over and hammered down and attached to wooden stretchers which support the sign. Note the context of the images on the sign. To the right you have the successful well dressed farmer with healthy horses and a well maintained wagon, saying to his counterpart "My Friend don't cry! Get your wagon fixed up and then use the Frazer Axle Grease petroleum. Grease both black and white will ruin your axles every time". To the left you have the obviously less successful farmer in a broken down wagon with underfed horses saying "If I had used Frazer Axle Grease I would not have had this trouble". Dimensions: 25 1/2" high x 37 3/4" wide x 1" deep An example of this sign was featured on "Antiques Road...

Beautiful as found Linen backed Poster for famous American Co. History. Michael hallanan, of New York, in the county and state of New York, have invented a new and improved Hors...

A rare printed baseball game broadside, advertising a game between two teams: Married men vs Single men, in Moodus, Connecticut (a village that is part o...

This was an estate find and part of a beautiful collection of rare excellent turn of the century posters. They were hidden away for over a 100 years. This is a rare and impressive 3 sheet poster that is 7 foot tall. It make quite a statement. About the poster: You'd think that a play called "The New Baby" might feature said child in its promotional material. But here's the thing - there really isn't a baby at the center of the comedy, and that's the crux of this entertainment. The plot concerns a husband who is so bored with country life that he dreams up the IDEA of having an illegitimate son in London as a way to get into town for an occasional 'night off'. When his wife decides that the child should be adopted, the expected comic tissue of falsehoods and misunderstandings frays and hilarity ensues. Adapted from German by A. Bourchier, the farce opened in London in 1896 to what a local critic termed 'much mirth'. Several years later, when the play had crossed the Atlantic and entered the repertory of David de Wolf cleverly called the Baby's chaperone on the poster and his troupe of traveling players, that understated review was translated into the more American howling success. The cast and director would've been totally unfamiliar with the British hinterlands, so this splendid design concentrates on the hi-jinks of the characters and their situation. At the start of the 20th century, America was in the full glory of its cultural adolescence, bursting with energy and optimism. In 1900 in New York there were 33 legitimate Broadway theaters, and many more would be built within the next decade to meet growing audience demand. New York's exploding population was also enjoying increased mobility. In 1904, the city opened its first underground commuter railroad lines. Thanks to these subways, tens of thousands living far from the theatre district could catch a Broadway show and still sleep in their own beds. Add in the ever-increasing numbers of tourists who came into the city by rail and steamship, and it was easy to see why Broadway could now support more productions and longer runs than ever before. We believe this magnificent and awe inspiring poster typifies the best of musical history and musical posters...