Movie posters fall into that large class of collectables called ephemera – materials which were never intended to last. They are usually printed on thin paper folded for shipping, and hung temporarily with pins, tape or paste. On rare occasions movie posters have survived without having been displayed at all, and are in pristine condition. Caches are also periodically found between studs and under floors during home renovations, used by builders as cheap fill or insulation. The condition of these finds can vary from excellent to terrible.
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Original folds in poster, before treatment
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Folds have been pressed out, but lines are still visible, preserving historical information.
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Very different customs and standards have dictated the presentation and preservation of posters than those used for art and archival collections. Many dealers feel that linen backing enhances the value and durability of the product. It certainly allows them to be handled and displayed more easily than unbacked sheets. Yet heavy backings change the character of the poster entirely. Original folds are pulled completely out, removing historical evidence of how they were shipped. The visual and tactile character of a thin, loose sheet of paper is lost. The poster becomes a kind of two-dimensional wallpaper mural.
For most paper conservators, backings are considered only as a last resort for papers that are extremely weak due to past environmental degradation. Even poor quality papers can, with proper handling, storage, framing and display, survive very well without backing. When the paper’s condition is so poor that it does require additional support, thin Japanese tissues pasted to the reverse add strength without altering the paper’s character. More often, backings are unnecessary, and foldlines can be flattened (not removed) with a simple humidification and press between blotters. Tears can be mended with thin strips of Japanese paper, a minimal intervention.
Posters can also be preserved without any treatment at all, by simply sandwiching them between two sheets of polyester film (Mylar D or Melinex 516), a completely reversible process called encapsulation.
As movie posters command ever increasing prices in the marketplace, it is my hope and expectation that the “less is more” conservation ethic that dominates treatments in the art world will be adopted by collectors and dealers of movie posters.
