Jay T. Last collection of artist posters, 1883-1964, bulk 1890-1900

View only results with digital items
Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Creators:
Last, Jay T.
Abstract:
The Jay T. Last collection of artist posters contains over 370 printed works spanning over eighty years, from 1883-1964. The bulk of the materials date from 1890 to 1900 and advertise American literary books and periodicals. Bicycles, household goods, and other products are also advertised. Notable artists represented in the collection include Will Bradley, Maynard Dixon, J. J. Gould, Edward Penfield, Ethel Reed, and Louis Rhead. Subjects addressed within the collection include international art styles (such as Art Nouveau), fashion, graphic design, publishing, book and literary journal publication, advertising, and the intersections between them, especially during the last decade of the 19th century.
Extent:
378 items
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

The Jay T. Last collection of artist posters contains over 370 printed works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The bulk of the materials date from 1890 to 1900 and advertise American literary books and periodicals. Bicycles, household goods, and other products are also advertised.

Materials are fully inventoried, and all printers, artists, and publishers are indexed by name. Notable illustrators represented in the collection include Will Bradley, Maynard Dixon, J. J. Gould, Edward Penfield, Ethel Reed, and Louis Rhead. The collection includes over 100 posters collected by illustrator Curtis Wager-Smith (1870-1950), some with inscriptions to her from the artist.

Subjects addressed within the collection include art styles, book and literary journal publication, advertising, and the intersections between them, especially during the last decade of the 19th century. The images encompass the popularization of Art Nouveau in the United States, as well as the advertising strategies employed by various industries in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As graphic materials, the items offer evidence of visual culture and printmaking techniques and trends, as well as information about the artists, engravers, lithographers, printers, and publishers involved in the creative process.

Acquisition information:
This collection forms part of the Jay T. Last Collection of Graphic Arts and Social History, which was donated to the Huntington Library by Jay T. Last in 2005 as a gift in progress. The bulk of the artist posters were transferred to the Library between 2010 and 2012 .
Arrangement:

Items are arranged alphabetically by artist and described in the following format:

  • Call number. Title of print. Date
  • Artist(s) (when known). Printer(s). Publisher(s)

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Note:

Finding aid last updated on July 25, 2019.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Website