by Steve Schmidt
Irvington Historical Society
IRVINGTON — The Irvington Historical Society has a second exhibit opening on December 3. The poster exhibit, titled War & Peas showcases the breadth and depth of posters during the past century as both and art and advertising medium.
War & Peas opens on Saturday, Dec. 3 and runs until March 26, 2023 at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center, the home of the Irvington Historical Society. Located at 5350 East University Avenue, the Bona Thompson hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 1 – 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The modern poster dates back to the middle of the 19th century, when the printing industry perfected color lithography and made inexpensive mass production possible. Typically, a poster is a large sheet of paper displayed on a public wall to promote something or as an ephemeral decoration. Posters usually include both text and graphical elements, although they may be either wholly graphical or wholly textual.Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. As such, posters may be used for many purposes — advertisements, events, propaganda, protests, or just for decoration. Often, they have a light-hearted or humorous hook.
The first widespread use of illustrated posters for political purposes were for war bond drives during the First World War. During the Second World War many posters were designed to encourage the rationing of supplies such as gasoline and foods.
War & Peas showcases the art of posters over the past 100 years, including those created by Irvington artists.
While at the Bona, please check out the new exhibit built around the Thompson family The Thompson Family: Memories in a Quilt will open on Saturday, Dec. 3, and run until March 26, 2023. A beautiful crazy quilt created by Bona Thompason’s mother Mary Thompson with Bona’s help before she died. Before her own death, Mary Thompson was able to finish this oversize quilt using scraps and pieces created by her daughter.
The Irvington Historical Society
