MEXICAN FILM POSTERS

This month we are featuring a new genre on our site covering Mexican Movie Posters. These magnificent posters really stand apart because of their unique artwork, which typically incorporate dramatic use of colors and shading. Unlike their US equivalents artists were encouraged and allowed to sign their posters and maybe this is one reason these posters stand apart as stylish works of art.

Mexican movies and their posters are generally regarded as having reached their golden age between WWII and 1957 with some of their most outrageous designs and artwork featuring the stars of the time including Maria Felix, Margo Lopez, Jorge Mistral, ‘Cantinflas’ and ‘Tin Tan’.

Mexican movie posters from the 50’s and earlier were usually printed on inferior paper that tends to be thin and contains a lot of acid from the natural pulp that the paper was made from. Exceptions to this rule  are those made using a silk screen printing technique. Because of these acids the posters tend not to age as well as  American and European posters from the same age. For this reason we sell all our Mexican posters linen backed they are all treated for the acids so the poster will not deteriorate any further with time. For this service we charge $80 for the standard posters that measure 27″ x 37″.

While we do not recommend bleaching it is possible to wash the poster in an alkali aqueous solution which will tend to brighten the poster and wash some of the acids in the process. Since so many of these posters from this period usually show a lot of “browning” in the paper some customers like this wash as it tends to lighten the paper and brighten the image. However, other customers feel that by removing the brown coloration in the paper the poster tends to look too new and they prefer to preserve the age and character or patina of the poster. It come down to individual taste. Bathing the poster will cost an additional $50 but we cannot guarantee that some fading of the color pigments will not occur – so please keep this in mind if you considering this option!

During linen backing we repair minor tears for no additional cost but if the poster needs significant repair of the margins or it is missing portions of the image then these sorts of repair will cost more and be dependent on each poster. It is always best to send us a picture so we can give you a precise quote. CLICK HERE TO SEND US A PICTURE OF YOUR POSTER AND TO GET A QUOTE