Posted 12 years ago
emersonest…
(123 items)
This is an original two sided advertisement I found in my attic. I am not sure how it is was distributed but I do know that Wild Bill was one of the greatest shows on earth. Let me know what you think and if you know anything about this piece. Thanks!
This is an AMZING piece! What an attic find! I am a collector of original Magic and Circus posters so I know Buffalo Bill's Wild West well.
"Buffalo Bill" was William Frederick Cody's nickname given to him because he used to kill and sell buffalo meat to railroad workers in the late 1800's. He later created his famous "Wild West" show that was a circus like attraction that toured annually consisting of entertainment on horse back such as staged races, and sideshows.
There are MANY Buffalo Bill posters still in existence and all are highly collectible! Many are extremely valuable! This piece you have here is called a "Broadside" and was a very common way of advertising shows when they came to town during the turn of the century. They were called broadsides because they were temporarily posted up on the broadsides of buildings. The main reason why theses are so collectible today is because they were meant to be posted and displayed but NOT saved, so many of them did not survive as they were either torn down or posted over with new broadsides.
Most broadsides were only printed on 1 side, seems like you have a more scarce one as it appears to have printing on both sides. These broadsides were printed up in all different sizes so it would be difficult to determine it's originality based purely on size, but one way to tell is the paper. The paper seems to be the right color for it's time and should be of a VERY THIN material, almost like newspaper.
If this poster is an original, I would say it's value would be somewhere between $600 - $900 in today's market. Of course condition plays a large factor in the value, but the side shown here in the picture looks to be in very good condition. I would date this poster right around 1900.
I am assuming you have this framed so that only 1 side is displayed, if this is the case, make sure that the reverse side of the poster is against ACID FREE backing or an ACID FREE Matt! If this is NOT the case, you need to open up the frame and change out the backing or you risk destroying the poster as the acid from regular paper will eat away at the broadside. Also, make sure the glass or plexi in the frame is UV protected as the sun is a poster's worst enemy! The other suggestion would be to frame this in a clear ARCHIVAL frame so that both sides of the broadside can be displayed.
This broadside is a true gem! It is a relic that needs to be preserved and taken care of the right way. I hope I was of some help to you, again this is a GREAT piece and if you ever want to part with it I would be happy to purchase it from you. Enjoy it!