With its roots in vaudeville and carnival advertising, the history of movie posters dates back to 1890.
Jules Cheret’s French-language short film, Projections Aristiques, advertised itself with a black-and-white illustration of a young girl holding up the sign telling observers when and where to see the movie.
A few years later in 1895, the poster for the silent film L’Arroseur Arrose (The Waterer Watered) was the first to preview the contents of the movie itself, whereas posters before it simply promoted the technical novelty.
L’Arroseur Arrose was the first to tease the story, which concerned a gardener in an amusing mishap.
In the 20th century, the rise of Hollywood studios saw marketing departments hire illustrators from magazines and novels to draw up the posters of theatrical releases.
In the 21st century, artists and craftsmen use digital tools to create posters that are just as memorable as hand-drawn works of art.
The history of movie posters is long and revelatory.
Below are some of the most iconic movie posters.
