Artful Prints
8,000 Circus Posters
Posters have always been printed to announce or proclaim something. They are utility print, not made to endure.
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| Bron: Collectie Jaap Best |
Let alone to exhibit on museum walls as a cultural expression, although this is belied by the specimens that survived. Their design and layout are often very original and they are very interesting from a historical viewpoint because they provide a clear image of a very specific moment in time.
Unique image bank
For circusmuseum.nl, Pictura created the image bank for the largest collection of Friedländer posters in the Netherlands with posters, photographs, and prints from Jaap Best's collection. That means that nearly 8,000 circus posters were placed online, ranging from 1880 to the present, from the Netherlands to the United States, from A2 size to several square meters in size. The nearly 3,500 color lithographs from between 1880 and 1930 by the Hamburger printer Adolph Friedländer are the high point. 7000 circus photographs and picture postcards were added to all this.
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| Bron: Collectie Jaap Best |
The smallest detail
Employees of Pictura personally picked up the collection. For this matter, their unique transportcases appeared to be very convenient. Using special techniques, the sometimes very detailed etches and lithographs were recorded as realistic as possible. At your computer screen you will be able to see even the smallest scratch of the artists. The result is an extensive overview of posters that have been made since 1890 and which announced the shows of acrobats, wonderchilds, crocodilewrestlers, clowns, and other astonishing artists.
Extensive search system
The extensive search system - containing references to artists, proprietors, and circus operators, but also carnivals, theatre, and vaudeville - is exceptional. Posters of all shapes and sizes are being ordered on the Pictura poster web store from all over the world.
