Important example of late 19th century lithographic printing
added to our collections The University Library, in
collaboration with the Department of Typography & Graphic
Communication, has purchased an important example of
lithographic printing for the rare book collections. Das Moderne
Plakat (The Modern Poster) by Jean Louis Sponsel was printed in
Dresden by Verlag von Gerhard Kuhtmann in 1897. It is a bound
volume, illustrated with fifty-two lithographic plates of
posters, including examples of work by noted artists including
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Théophile Steinlen and Alphonse
Mucha. Posters, in the form of posted bills and placards for
advertisements and announcements, have a long history. However,
the invention of lithography in 1796 allowed for cheap mass
production and printing, and the invention of chromolithography
which followed made it possible to print mass editions of
posters in vibrant colours. By the 1890s, the technique had
spread throughout Europe, and poster art was becoming increasi