1938 US 40x60 Snow White Poster

40x60s: These gorgeous forty inch by sixty inch over-sized posters were often intended for front-of-house displays or for use as standees. They are less common than the standard one-sheets (27" x 41"), and due to their difficult-to-store proportions and sometimes fragile paper stock, they were not often saved.

____

1938 re-release...

There's rare, there's very rare, and then there's "Wow." This incredible poster (below) definitely belongs in the latter category. That this one has survived nearly seven decades is nothing short of a miracle, especially considering the thin, glossy photo paper on which it's printed. Posters of this size were usually printed on heavier stock, but Disney obviously wanted to emphasize the artwork and the colors in this beauty, leading him to use a photogelatin process that required the more fragile paper. The original 1937 pressbook listed this 40x60 at a whopping $1.25 apiece to theater owners. This was a tremendous amount of money for a poster at that time and undoubtedly few were ordered by the exhibitor. This breathtaking image, featuring artwork by animator Grim Natwick and art director Gustav Tenggren, practically tells the movie's story in its entirety with delicate watercolor scenes. Text from Heritage Auction Galleries website.

[CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE]

RKO release (1937). Movie Poster (40" X 60"). Features artwork by Gustaf Tenggren with influences from Grim Natwick.
Sold for $65,725.00 (USD) November 2007.

Have a closer detailed look at this 40x60 in the next Archive entry.