This is a post in progress. Hello pards, and welcome back to Company Q Headquarters! It's been a cold, dreary, dark winter in 1865. But the days are getting longer, the life has returned to the land, the muddy roads are drying out, and pretty soon those Johnny Rebs will be fightin' us again. This marks the end of the Sesquiecentennial (sp?) anniversary cycle, and next year we reset the clock back to 1861 and start over with Fort Sumter again. I have been meaning to write this post for awhile, and I suppose I should do it before all the excitement about our time period dies down. As a highly skilled, trained and well-versed expert in my chosen field I studied before this dreaded war, (that of a commercial printer), I have been meaning, no...procrastinating on writing this very helpful journal entry. It's on how to design convincing event flyers and recruiting posters for reenactments and reenacting groups, done in a historically accurate style. To this end, I have compiled this series of infographics if you will, of how to do this yourself using desktop publishing software and free fonts, following the Nineteenth Century "Rules" of design. Before we start, you will need a desktop publishing program. Microsoft Publisher is adequate, but an Adobe program is better. Adobe gives 100% freedom to push, pull, stretch and resize text without any constraint or size limits. And it has none of that annoying "snap to grid" or "margins" that Microsoft Office does. Luckily, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are now available for a monthly subscription fee through Adobe Creative Cloud instead of $2,000 for a permanent license. The unregistered 30-day trials can save documents and have full functionality for one month. Don't forget you can also use alternative free publishing programs like Inkscape (vector drawing program) and GIMP (A poor man's Photoshop). These programs are absolutely free, open-source and user supported. Apache OpenOffice is a free clone of MS Office products. I wanted to start out this unique post by showing a few historical examples of famous Civil War posters. The first one everybody's seen. It is a broadside printed for a South Carolina newspaper, nowadays known as a flyer. Look at how huge they printed that headline. The UNION is DISSOLVED!! It's shocking enough to make a young lady faint. It actually would have cost a substantial amount of money to print letters this big. We tend to forget how much more work it was to typeset back then. These type blocks were large and heavy and probably custom made for the job. Obviously, the printer spared no expense in creating this earth-shattering headline that altered the fate of a nation. Recruiting posters were also printed in ridiculously bold letters to grab young men's attention. And here's one I like, a recruiting broadside from the Governor of Pennsylvania proclaiming the mustering in of a new infantry regiment. The unit is known as Kane's Rifles, after its colonel Thomas Leiper Kane. This was officially named the 42nd Pennsylvania Infantry, the "old bucktails"...my unit! If you have an artistic eye, you may notice that these posters seem to break many of the contemporary rules of layout design, notably too many fonts, text that makes your eyes jump around, and looking too "busy". There were different rules back in those days, and we simply have to get used to them and think like an 1860's person. Now I will show how YOU TOO can make posters and flyers that look authentic to promote your events or recruit new members to your reenacting unit! The following fonts have been confirmed as authentic typefaces used during the Civil War. These fonts are actual historic typefaces which were studied, traced and digitized by modern designers. You may recognize some of them from Harper's Weekly newspapers or recruiting posters, or various other historic places. Chances are you've seen many of these fonts before, but you didn't know what they are called. All the fonts shown above are free and can be downloaded from a font website like www.dafont.com. For the more serious typesetter who would like to see some really high quality premium Civil War fonts and pay some money, you can click on the link below to be taken to an online store where you can purchase the sets of type. I highly recommend WALDEN FONT CO. as the best source of accurate, very faithfully reproduced historic typefaces. Visit Walden Font Company's Store This next set of free fonts below, while some of them did exist in the 1860's, did not become really popular and come into widespread use until the 1870's and 1880's, when mechanical printing machines and more advanced typesetting techniques were developed, allowing for finer detail. Use the below fonts sparingly, or as little as possible. While they might be fancy, I feel these typefaces scream "Wild West" more than anything else. How many times in bad cowboy movies have you seen the lettering styles shown above? The top one, Mesquite Standard, to me says SALOON while the Playbill font second from the bottom is from the stereotyped WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE $1,000 REWARD posters. These are less appropriate to be used in an 1860's advertisement for this reason, though I'm not saying they didn't exist. These were more likely hand painted on storefront signs and not printed.The bottom one, Rosewood Standard, reminds me of circus shows, or like something to be painted on the side of a bandwagon. Here is the "Black List" of fonts which should NEVER be used. Many people pick these because they come shipped standard with newer versions of Windows and Microsoft Office. Don't. These fonts are cheap, hackneyed and hideously overused, not to mention non-historical, and I strongly urge you not to use them. The Zapfino font, while so many people love its graceful, swoopy calligraphic-style letters, is not appropriate. The creator of this font family, Hermann Zapf, was born in 1918, so it's even the wrong century! (yes, he was German, in case you wondered where the funny font name Zapf Dingbats came from. Zapf coined the term "dingbat" as a silly word for a little picture or symbol included as part of his typeface family. So what are the design rules of 1860's lettering and typesetting? Here I have tried to explain it visually. It's been said that those with the least intelligent things to say speak the loudest. All text layouts should look symmetrical and visually stable. A general rule when designing 1860's posters is to make the best use of the space you can. Try to cover about 80% of the page. Stretch out lines to fill empty areas, but be sure to leave a 1/2 inch to 1 inch margin on either side. Here's an example of a flyer I created using the principles I just discussed. I stretched the rules a little bit, using 6 fonts. But the style and text arrangement is spot on. Recruiting posters tended to separate different pieces of information with black lines. As for the engravings, as long as you're not stealing a scan of an original document from someone's private collection, Google image search will suffice. The idea of copyright law didn't really come around until Teddy Roosevelt's time, and even for about 20 years after that it was hardly respected. Besides, anything produced 150 years ago is now in the public domain. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Nobody can claim ownership of a sketch or an engraving if the person that made it died over 100 years ago, unless they own the actual original document and it is the only one of its kind. I hope you find this post helpful. Happy pixel-pushing!
By looking back at these old Civil War recruitment posters & broadsides, you can see what was being offered to men as an incentive to sign up to fight in the Civil War -- and what exactly the leaders were looking for in troops back in the 1860s.
1st May - We will attack!, 1937 The Spanish Civil War, fought from 1936 to 1939, was a complex conflict between the Republicans and Nationalists, both vying for
This Civil War poster can be accessed at life of a soldier. Readers can pan
While reviewing some Civil War materials, I encountered mention of the New York City Draft Riots, which reminded me of my own experience with the draft back in the late 1960s. Whether there was a war or not, I had no interest in joining the military, but it was out of my hands. Vietnam was getting worse instead of better, and more troops were being sent. When I became eligible to go, America switched to the draft lottery. While I was still in high school, my number (based on birthdays) came up in the 200s, so I didn’t have to go unless I enlisted. That » Continue Reading.
1st May - We will attack!, 1937 The Spanish Civil War, fought from 1936 to 1939, was a complex conflict between the Republicans and Nationalists, both vying for
This is a post in progress. Hello pards, and welcome back to Company Q Headquarters! It's been a cold, dreary, dark winter in 1865. But ...
Here you will find our Famous Film Locations from movies shot all around the world! Dive in and see where your favorite movie or TV show was filmed!
Inside, we look at 50 examples of visual propaganda throughout the years and what elements of design made it effective during that time.
Civil War President Lincoln's Letter to Mrs. Bixby 1891 Print Poster Museum-quality posters made on thick and durable matte paper. Add a wonderful accent to your room and office with these posters that are sure to brighten any environment. • Paper thickness: 10.3 mil • Paper weight: 5.6 oz/y² (192 g/m²) • Giclée printing quality • Opacity: 94%
These posters were used in the Civil War to encourage men to join the service before being drafted. The sums of money offered were a fortune for men who might make less than a dollar a day.
Find out about recruitment posters and how they developed during the First World War.
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Save more than $45 with this collection of 6 small posters ideal for school, home school, and anyone who studies the history of our nation's Civil War. Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation as a small poster — Historic print (1888) Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as a small poster — Historic print (1908) Gettysburg Battlefield small poster — Our original design Irish Brigade small poster — Our original design The Army of the Potomac small poster — Our original design The Battle of Fredericksburg small poster — Our original design Also see our Revolutionary War Poster Collection for substantial savings. Price: Six posters for $29.95 — Over $75 if bought individually. You save more than $45 with this collection. Size: 11" x 14" About the paper weight: Printed on durable 10 pt. card stock Reviews include . . . Emancipation Proclamation — Great for the ClassroomI'm trying to fill my secondary-level US history classroom with replicas of primary sources and historical artifacts, and this fits both categories. Providing both the text of the Emancipation Proclamation and the historical presentation of this text allows an analysis of both the meaning of this landmark document as well as the impact it had in the political culture of the late-nineteenth century. Plus it's a fine looking piece to display.— Robert P. ★★★★★Gettysburg Address — InformativeI am a Gettysnerd, and getting this bit of Gettysburg imagery perfectly adds to my insatiable desire for more stuff related to the battle. The beautiful words that President Lincoln said that day should hang in every household in America!— Jose N. ★★★★★Battle of Fredericksburg small posterNice heavy quality paper. Love the image, as a former Fredericksburg resident!— CJ ★★★★★ Additional information on the original designs:The Gettysburg Battlefield poster is from the Great American Historic Sites series of original prints done for the non-profit organization The Pursuit of History.
The Presidential Election of 1864
Art.com | We Are Art We exist so you can have the art you love. Art.com gives you easy access to incredible art images and top-notch craftsmanship. High-Quality Framed Art Prints Our high-end framed wall art is printed on premium paper using non-toxic, archival inks that protect against UV light to resist fading. Experience unmatched quality and style as you choose from a wide range of designs to enhance your room décor. Professionally Crafted Framed Wall Art Attention to detail is at the heart of our process, as we exclusively use 100% solid wood frames that include 4-ply white core matboard and durable, frame-grade clear acrylic for clarity, long-lasting protection of the artwork and unrivaled quality. With a thoughtfully selected frame and mat combination, this piece is designed to complement your art and create a visually appealing display. Easy-to-Hang & Ready-to-Display Artwork Each framed art piece comes with hanging hardware affixed to the back of the frame, allowing for easy and convenient installation. Ready to display right out of the box. Handcrafted in the USA. Cultural Art Never lose touch with your roots or embrace a new culture with world art. Our collection will bring you closer to traditions, cultural, and even historical moments worldwide. Explore bohemian, Scandinavian, to tropical art without leaving your couch. Norman Rockwell, Monica Stewart, Frida Kahlo, Jean -Michel Basquiat are renowned for capturing culture with their art. Elevate your living space with our world culture masterpieces customized in our professionally hand-stretched canvas. People Art If you could have dinner with someone famous, who would you choose? A social justice icon, a movie star, or a celebrated artist. Whomever you choose, our extensive people art collection will bring them at just a click! So, get ready to create an inspired space with the ones that encourage you. People art is any photograph, painting that’s an artistic or true-to-life representation of people or groups. Our most popular people art include an exclusive illustration of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, black and white portraits of Frida Kahlo, and Elvis Presley, amongst many others. The Print This art print displays sharp, vivid images with a high degree of color accuracy. A member of the versatile family of art prints, this high-quality reproduction represents the best of both worlds: quality and affordability. Art prints are created using a digital or offset lithography press. Paper Type: Art Print Finished Size: 12" x 18" Arrives by Fri, Jun 21 Product ID: 24469633378A
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