The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-23
POLITICAL POSTERS.
Campaign Clubs VIII Have Novel EN-
bIems This Year.
TOM REED on A SILK BACKGROUND.
Mckinley Pictured Carrying a Tin
Pail andHill inCharacterisficPOs

Mckinley Pictured Carrying a Tin
Pail andHill inCharacterlsticPOs
The poster has got into politics. Jules
Cheret and the other great French artists
who originated the modern school of art in
posters viii be responsible for the poster
in the 1896 campaign for president. We
shall see Mckinley posters, Hill posters,
Morton posters and. sound money! and
free silver posters, and they will certainly
be a unique feature.
A firm that does a large business in
campaign posters announces that the polit-
zeal clubs have fallen victim to the poster
craze, and have ordered banners of cam
paign leaders made after the poster order.
You see," said the manager of the
firm, which has been in the business of
making campaign banners for many years,
I'VE are put to our wits end every four
years for the new banners for the political
clubs. Political clubs of today are MOI
oontented with the stars and stripes, and
the old battlef1ags that we used to COPY
for them, with their stained spots and
their tatters are not known to the present
generation. Each club wants something
new, with the name of its candidate upon
it and the indication of party sentiment,
as we'll as a certain beauty of conception
besides. They give US carte blanche in
price and design and we must do the best
we can for them.
"When the poster craze broke out, we
looked it over carefully to see if it could
be adapted to our business of supplying
political banners. But we decided that it
could not.
sit was such a striking idea and capa-
bic of SO many workings, treatments and
variations that we were more than anxious
to carry it out and issue political posters.
lone day an artist sauntered in here.
'You handle campaign banners?' he asked.
'We do replied. Then you'll like this
one I've made of Mckinley. It is done
after the new poster fad
''Quiokly, before I could say no, he I'M
fErled long piece of paper the size of a
door and showed me the great protection
ist behind the shield of his country.
g That is in rcd, white and blue, for
true patriotism, he said. But I can get
it up in yellows and blacks, like the
Beardsleys. if you want it SO. You see,
have brought in the Mckinley tin and
worked up the idea of the Nottingham
''The picture caught my eye. Leave
it, said There's to be meeting of tho
Mckinley club tonight. Leave it, and
will show it to Them He left the big
paper banner with me, and I took it to the
club. When the workingmen saw it, they
went wild. Get us big one in bunting
they said, and for the next month was
busy putting together the hardest banner
I ever had on my hands.
1.-The ordinary campaign banner, if it
be of stars and stripes, is made like the
American flag. If letters are wanted,
these are sewod on by hand, or are done in
gold leaf. or, best of all, in stitching with
gold thread through and through the ban
ner, both sides being stitched alike.
I'm Hill S poster we begin with the stars
and stripes. They are put by hand upon
a white background. The stars must be
placed carefully with their points spread,
and the stripes cut away to make room for
the figure ornamentation.
1.-the flag with L am a Democrat comes
next 1t is piece of silk cut in the right
shape and sewed upon the banner. The
folds in it are done by a girl who is a
clever artist with the needle With dark
silk she goes over that white banner, trac-
ing Il am a D-e-m-o-c-r-a-t' until every
letter is perfect. She then puts in the
creases until the banner looks as though
blown by the wind.
"The figure Of the statesman is hardest
The black coat is piece of broadcloth cut
out like a man dolls coat. Tt is first
glued in place. and finally stitched there
by artistic hands, and as the last touch OF
art receives its white lines with white silk
to mark the creases in the coat.
''The features, hands, hair and feet are
put in with fine silk thread, stitch after
stitch, until as perfect as wrought tapes
tries.
''The Reed poster, which you see upon
the wall, was the simplest to do 1t has
not been sent out yet. Neither has any Of
the others. But you are positively the
first one to see the speaker in his charac-
teristic attitude, the one always pictured
for him by his admirers throughout the
country.
''For the Reed poster we took pale yell
low silk and placed the figure of Reed
upon it in dull silk, with the usual white
lines for lapel and tie. His head was easy
for us, just bit of outline work, and the
gavel, in brown, was the only relief from
the yellow and black, striking combine
ton. The lettering is in all colors, with
a preference for red, white and blue.
1.-The cost of poster is reckoned by the
work we put upon it. This poster of Reed
cost US only 800, while others come as
high as $500.
1.-The craze for posters is developing
strange things. I saw a woman gloating
over a water color poster of her baby, a
light blue cherub upon a green throne.
But when it comes to sensible and inter-
esting things I do not think there is any
thing much more attractive than polit-
icaI campaign banner gotten up like a
vivid poster. New York journal.
The Furniture City.
The common council of Grand Rapids,
Il ia a. Ill