Explore the Archive
Twelve selections from the collection. Some are genres, some are aesthetic threads running across them.
12Selections
212Posters
25,809Films catalogued
TypographyHundreds of examples of creative and artistic use of typeface are preserved in the archive.5 posters
PoliticsThe structure of government and politics – real or fictional – comes alive in movies with political themes and the posters that promote them. Many fine examples are in the archive.9 posters
Music & ArtThe archive contains hundreds of attractive poster images telling the stories of the works and lives of fine and contemporary artists and musicians.18 posters
AuteurEvery major director is represented in the archive, among them Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman, John Ford, Francois Truffaut, and Josef von Stenberg. Experience their storytelling through the poster image.21 posters
ColorThe archive contains myriad examples of the creative and stunning use of color to convey mood, add texture, and enhance a poster’s impact.27 posters
HorrorSome of the most famous movie posters in the world are from the Horror genre. The fear, repugnance, and primal tension evoked by the films of the genre are evident in the posters, making these poster images even more intriguing.21 posters
ImageImagery is the predominant element in movie poster design. Artists and designers utilize a variety of styles and techniques to create posters with memorable impact. The images contained in the archive illustrate these techniques.7 posters
InternationalThe archive has a vast number of fantastic poster images for non-U.S. films. These designs are superb examples of the best in poster art. Each is a “country of origin” poster.23 posters
Sci-FiScience fiction, especially as portrayed in the movies, opens our imagination to vast unknown worlds in unimagined ways and their posters perpetuate this mystique.15 posters
SociologyJust as the discipline of Sociology – the study of human social behavior – is broad and diverse involving both individual and group relationships, so are the movies and their posters, many of which are classics in their own right.24 posters
Theatre & LiteratureMany movies are based on plays, adapted from books, and derived from the annals of great literature, producing posters which are thought-provoking and appealing and evocative of their source material.21 posters
WesternSince the movies’ earliest days, “westerns” have been a favorite of young and old alike as they tell the story of the American dream. The archive contains many fabulous examples of the posters from the best westerns.21 posters