Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2017 | Page 60

The poster , as we know it , dates back to the 19th century when the innovation and use of high speed colour lithography by Jules Chéret made mass production possible and brought this liberating and exciting art form to the masses .

The application of art to commercial and industrial printing spread throughout Europe in the 19th century after high speed colour lithography became possible . It was adopted to advertise everything from bicycles to absinthe .

Today posters remain a highly collectable area of the antiques market thanks to their artistic style , historical interest and wall power to name but three reasons for their continued appeal .

The poster shown sold at auction for £ 5,000 !

Ask an expert !

February proved to be a very busy month with nearly 700 lots just in the Antique & Collectables sale . There was frenzied internet buying for the large selection of Jewellery and Silver on offer , whilst the Oriental market was as buoyant as ever . An Oriental vase with extensive restoration was hotly contested , selling to a London Dealer for £ 1,450 . Auctioneer Warren Riches said in perfect condition it would have made £ 6,000 - £ 8,000 , but as the vendor was going to dump it they were delighted ! A fine watercolour of the Great Exhibition came from a deceased estate in Brighstone , and contested to a final hammer price of £ 3,000 – a great shock to all . The sold sale rate was up in the 90 - 95 % range which all the staff were delighted about .