The library at Stockholm University of the Arts presents digitised posters donated by the Cirkusakademien or the Akademien för Cirkuskonstens bevarande i Sverige (Academy for the Preservation of Circus Arts in Sweden).
The material presented is a selection from the donation, which also consists of other ephemeral material. It is categorised into different folders without any internal sorting or other searchability. The idea is to browse through it. Open by clicking on the respective folder.
Posters can contain various types of messages, ranging from pure information to more persuasive advertising. In the case of circus posters, from the 1700s to the early 1900s, it was most common for them to be designed as large text-based programmes with information about the content of the performance, the performers, the time and the location. Illustrations were black and white and did not always appear. Later, posters were designed more to attract and engage interest, i.e. in an attempt to catch the eye and convey a message. One such message could be that ”the Malmsten circus performers are now visiting”.
As public spaces at the turn of the last century could be filled with enticing advertising posters, it was important to stand out and design posters that were as attractive as possible. How this was achieved can be studied in the posters presented here, where every effort seems to have been made to catch the eye of passers-by. The typefaces are changed in different headlines and illustrations are used in a way that today seems a little messy, but in the past helped the eye to sort the information.
The most important function of a poster is that it is topical, which means that it is made for current news and subsequently when out of date used more for its nostalgic and/or decorative function. Since the topicality was short-lived, they were printed on lower-quality paper, which over time has caused major preservation problems. Digitisation is currently the only possible long-term preservation method of the posters information, even though data about printing techniques and paper structure is lost. Like other material with a short shelf life, the term ephemera is used to describe something that is more commonly short-lived. Ephemera is Greek for mayfly.
In the second half of the 19th century, a new printing technique was introduced that enabled illustrations of a completely different kind. Previously, "letterpress printing" was used in combination with techniques such as "xylography" and "copperplate engraving" (intaglio printing) for illustrations. Lithography and later offset (flat printing) had also been used, but the big change came with colour lithography and the possibility of printing in larger formats. The design of posters changed significantly, partly due to the involvement of artists and the ability to make the messages more eye-catching. Another difference was that the text element in the posters took on a more pictorial character, with the typography being designed to visually enhance the illustration used. In this way, image and text became integrated and created a whole new artistic form of expression – what we now call poster art.
Ephemeral material is special in that it conveys and subsequently reveals a snapshot of a time that, in retrospect, is excellent for understanding the values of an era. This means that certain expressions and messages are strongly linked to when the material was current, but that in later times it would often be completely impossible to sell the same message. This is partly due to the content and partly to how it is expressed. The reason is usually that our values and moral compass have changed. The difference between ephemeral and more enduring printed matter can be said to be that ephemeral material also allows for a more uncensored form of expression. In other words, ephemeral material can be considered to reveal the signs of the times better and, over time, and becomes research material that is increasingly used. It is therefore important to understand that older perspectives must be viewed with historical awareness and that republishing old material does not mean spreading controversial messages. Only by understanding our history we can understand the times we live in now. We have the society and world we live in today because of the events that have taken place, even if we do not always agree with the messages. It is therefore by learning from history that we can change and improve. That said, the opposite would be a nightmare if we instead imagine a society without history and without the opportunity for reflection.
/ Olof Halldin
