Explore our exclusive posters, featuring images from the Newberry’s collections, as well as one-of-a-kind designs by esteemed local artisans such as Starshaped Press.
Newberry Posters
Traditionally, broadsides were used like posters to announce events or proclamations. This contemporary broadside was used to promote our exhibition Melville: Finding America at Sea. It features text of Melville’s poem “Tom Deadlight” drawn from the Northwestern-Newberry Edition of Melville's Published Poems (the definitive textual edition of Melville's works).
Arranged in the shape of a whale's tail, the beautifully printed text diminishes in size as it descends the page and is accompanied by ornaments representing corpse lights treated with glow-in-the-dark ink.
A colophon at bottom left displays the number of the print and commemorates the exhibition, which was held at the Newberry Library in 2019 (the bicentennial of Melville’s birth).
This gorgeous print was produced for the Newberry by the Chicago print company the Starshaped Press in a limited edition of just 200 copies. 11 by 14", classic small poster size.
Given our old-school predilection for print, we found a kindred spirit in Starshaped Press, the print shop behind this exclusive letterpress print depicting our beautiful building.
Since 1999, Chicago-based Starshaped Press has stayed true to the original craft of letterpress. Using antique metal and wood type, the shop has bucked popular trends by showcasing the beauty and relevance of well-designed, historic type. Unlike most letterpress shops, Starshaped Press focuses on reusing existing materials (some over 150 years old) for all projects—meaning that no plastic is ever used in production.
A stellar expression of the shop’s style and ethos, this handsome poster is 9 by 12" and fabulous for framing.
This 11x14" broadsheet was designed and printed by the Starshaped Press in Chicago for the exhibition Renaissance Invention: Stradanus’s Nova Reperta. Depicting a printing press and created using letterpress-printing techniques, as well as antique metal types and ornaments, the poster is an homage to the history of the printing trade. A limited number of signed prints on Neenah cotton paper are available exclusively at the Newberry.