Sometimes called the external literature of the theater, posters have been used to promote movies almost since the beginning of cinema.  The library’s collection of over 35,000 posters includes examples from early films that were novelty amusements to current theatrical releases.

In the early days of the film industry, exhibitors needed a cheap and effective way to advertise the movies playing in their theaters, and production companies wanted their films to be promoted with quality graphics.  The result was the creation of studio advertising departments dedicated solely to producing posters and other promotional materials for their exhibitors.  As the industry evolved, actors became more important to the success of movies, and their personas were reflected in the posters.  The prominence of certain actors, as they developed into stars, is reflected in their placement and relative size on a poster.

Built largely through donations from studios, private collectors and the National Screen Service, the library's poster collection consists primarily of one-sheet posters from Hollywood films, but it also includes examples from independent and foreign productions.  In the late 1940s, a former studio executive at Paramount/Artcraft presented the library with its first significant poster donation.  This gift of more than 100 posters, including some from films that no longer exist, documents the work of one of the most influential studios of its time.  Since then, the library has received many donations, including four major private collections. 

From the Edward Mapp Collection

The Edward Mapp Collection traces the history of African-Americans in cinema from 1921 to the present.  It includes rare examples of posters from black-cast films made by producers such as Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams and the Norman Film Co. as well as posters from mainstream Hollywood fare featuring African-American performers in prominent roles. 

From the Batiste Madalena Collection

The Batiste Madalena Collection consists of over 100 original hand-painted posters created by Madalena in the mid-1920s for the Eastman Theatre in Rochester, New York.  The Cudequest Family Collection of animation posters documents one of cinema’s most remarkable art forms.  This unique collection spans nearly a century and includes examples from both short and feature-length animated films.  The Richard Koszarski Polish Poster Collection showcases the distinctive modernist style developed by poster designers in Poland after World War II and includes more than 2,000 posters for films released in that country between 1947 and 1995. 

From the Cudequest Family Collection

In the early 1990s, the library established a preservation program to ensure the longevity of its posters and facilitate access to the collection.  Many of the posters are indexed in the online catalog, which also includes images of those that have been conserved and photographed. Reference prints of these images are available and may be requested by patrons visiting the library. 

From the Richard Koszarski Polish Poster Collection

Patrons with additional needs may contact the Graphic Arts Librarian for an appointment. Institutions wishing to borrow items from the collection should first read the library’s loan policy before contacting the Graphic Arts Librarian.