Old advertising is a fantastic way to peek into the social and business worlds of the past. Usually vibrant, clever, witty and artistically accomplished these works of art were created for one purpose only- to grab your attention and sell ! Early examples were usually painted onto wood, carved out of wood or printed. In 1816 the invention of two-colour lithography meant bright colours could finally be added to printed adverts and posters and then the invention of enamel signs from the 1860s onwards further revolutionised how people publicised their wares around the built environment.
Today antique and vintage advertising is as desirable as ever and looks great displayed on the wall. From hard wearing signs to fragile posters these items add character and are chocked full of the fashions and fads of the day. On a more personal scale business trade cards and labels have remained popular for hundreds of years but during the 19th Century the variety of ways to advertise grew to include far more unusual objects such as mirrors, bottles, match boxes and all manner of novelty items. This continued into the 20th Century to leave us a wealth of fantastic advertising objects.
At Love Antiques we have a fine selection of antique and vintage advertising for all your needs.
£ 225
Whites Antiques
Early 20th Enamel Sign from an Estate
£ 135
Whites Antiques
Original Painted Cart Side Sign
£ 435
Whites Antiques
French Hand Painted Apothecary Sign 1900-1920
£ 550
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Bridget Riley Untitled (after Blaze) 1964 Screenprint on Paper
£ 295
Bridget Riley Untitled (after Blaze) 1964 Screenprint on Paper
£ 295
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
£ 645
The Old Yard
Victorian Framed Advertising Poster
£ 725
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe Poster 1971
£ 1,000
Elmgarden
Large Iron “Watneys” Pub Lantern
£ 1,250
£ 2,250
Mantiques Bazaar
London Transport Slipboard Poster for Oxford Street
£ 30
£ 800
D and A Binder LTD
Vintage Floro Shop Display
£ 168
Antiques & Chic
Old Enamel Goerz Cameras & Binoculars Advertising Sign
£ 825
£ 375
D and A Binder LTD
Strongarm Beer Sign
£ 540
£ 120
Richard Twort
Goodyear Tyre Advertising Barometer
£ 235
Richard Twort
Martini Advertising Barometer & Thermometer
£ 325
£ 540
£ 3,950
Large McEwan’s Pale India Ale Advertising Mirror, Pub Sign Mirror for McEwans
£ 3,950
Elmgarden
£ 600
£ 295
£ 1,650
£ 650
£ 225
£ 775
£ 1,450
£ 2,250
Richard Twort
Pan American Airways Advertising Barometer
£ 325
£ 1,250
Wildwinds Antiques
English Rose & Crown Car Grill Badge
£ 120
D and A Binder LTD
1950s Childrenswear Shop Sign
£ 120
£ 895
Tales to Tell Antiques
19th Century French Printed Advertising Fan with 18th Century Scene
£ 55
Tales to Tell Antiques
Late 19th Century French Paper Advertising Fan with 18th Century Scenes
£ 40
Late 19th Century French Paper Advertising Fan with 18th Century Scenes
£ 40
Tales to Tell Antiques
Tales to Tell Antiques
Two French Printed Advertising Fans
£ 45
£ 1,350
Elder Books & Collectables
Original 1877 Complete Booklet for Pear's Soap Adverts For Complexion & Children
£ 26
Original 1877 Complete Booklet for Pear's Soap Adverts For Complexion & Children
£ 26
Elder Books & Collectables
People have been advertising their wares for thousands of years scratching into bricks and painting wooden signs and pottery. However the emergence of the printing press meant that from the 17th Century onwards printed advertising became cheap and easy to produce through newspapers, gazettes, magazines, flyers, and journals. Better quality images through copper plate processes emerged from the mid 18th Century and colour tones began to be printed from the start of the 19th Century. While the approach to advertising has not really changed over the years, the sheer quantity has, in part due to even more mediums emerging such as radio, television and internet.
Most collectors of old advertising are drawn to the works for their own unique reasons, either because of the subject, Era or artwork. Enamel signs and posters are the most popular fields collected due to their variety and versatility. In each case condition and rarity determine the price, but all forms of advertising are collected from labels, cards and signs to far more unusual novelty items.
The first known purpose made advertisements were written onto Papyrus and date to at least 3000 B.C from ancient Egypt. However people will have been scratching their shop or business name on to wood or clay even before that.
In an era when marketing focuses primarily on the future, the purpose of retro advertising art is to transport us back to the past where life is simpler. This type of advertising tells us about the fashions, fads and innovations from years gone by. If we were alive at that time it can remind us of who we were at the time, and if the advert is older than us we can still be transported in our mind to that other era.