The Great Linen Debate

[wonka]

Title says it all, what are your thoughts in regards to linen, pros, cons, etc...?

Just curious what your stance is, more than just "I hate it" or "I love it" or "I don't care".

The examples and reasons of why a particular piece is put on linen are countless, so I personally feel that it is a bit uneven to perhaps live by a blanket statement, but certainly, people have their limits and reasoning on why and what should be put on linen...and any subsequent restoration (which may be a different topic altogether, but does go hand in hand with general linen backing most of the time).

*Mods, before I forget, can we get a permanent section for linen backing in the common poster subjects area?  I think an entire section designed to talk about the subject, show before/after pics (one of my favs to see), advice on who to send posters to, etc...would be wholly beneficial to the forum and the hobby.

[Ari]

I am a simple man, if it needs it do it, if it doesn’t don’t.. If you like it better, have the money, go ahead, don’t? don’t.

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Having way too many frames I can say from woeful experience that posters behave rather poorly in them - they inevitably sag, they develop "pressure waves," etc.

The two exceptions are mylar posters and linen-backed posters. 

So for posters that I want to frame permanently, linen-backing is terrific.

[Ari]

Not  AN EXPERT, BUT Ive had many items framed for years and all look like the day I framed them, even framed items since I was a kid,  and im an old geezer now!

[holiday]

No linen.  I'm somewhat of a purist and I appreciate paper in its unadorned form.  Like Ari said, if a poster is really bad, then linen may be an option if there's not much chance of finding one in better condition. I have one poster for Clan of the Cave Bear that is so rare that I purchased it linenbacked (it's the advance version, without the credits).  I've only known of one other during the past 7 years, and that would have cost $750.  I passed, and took the one that cost me only a $150 backed.  That was worth it.  The other posters I have backed I just don't care for.

[Ari]

I have 4 backed posters, 2 were so cheap its freaky, and the backing so bad I just pin then tom the wall, the third  was a nice gift from a talented ex backer, Thanks my birthday sis , 4th  was a bargain from mopo, BURN WITCH BURN on linen $30 or something, cant recall. The cheap ones, and I mean CHEAP! As in a couple of bucks each, but for posters printed in the 20/30’s, I didn’t care, but it looked like someone had some glue and bits of material and stuck it all together.. but for the price I don’t care, I hang them, looks good to me.

[Zorba]

Having way too many frames I can say from woeful experience that posters behave rather poorly in them - they inevitably sag, they develop "pressure waves," etc.

Im having that same wave problem with some posters. I cant figure out the waves.


Linen backing would fix this crease in an otherwise perfect poster?...Its double sided. The idea of linen backing DS posters seems wrong to me somehow.

[spacething]

I only have three posters that are linen-backed (one of them I bought that way.)  I don't get it done too often because it's expensive.  Usually my reason for getting something linen-backed is because the poster is something that I want to hang up, but it is severely damaged or fragile.  A little bit of damage on a poster doesn't bother me though, like crossfold tears, small stains and pinholes. 

[guest8]

Not  AN EXPERT, BUT Ive had many items framed for years and all look like the day I framed them, even framed items since I was a kid,  and im an old geezer now!

Yes, please share your non-expert framing advise !

[50s]

Half my collection are linen backed (about 50). All my favs. Some NM posters... maybe sacrilege... I like em to look flat and also try to prevent them breaking/tearing at the folds (most are from the 50's). I also mainly collect large posters... so back the multisheet posters: 3, 6 sht and 4F.

I have a 1sht and 4F currently at the backers. These posters are in bad condition pieces ripped off, more brown tape than no tape... I also have a brittle 6sht needing backing... last time I unfolded it I tore one foot of it along a fold line and I try to be delicate as a feather with it...  

I used to think backing is reversible, but it isnt... you cant get back the original folds, the paper changes size when the wheat paste is applied and ink stamps get sanded off the reverse to prevent ink bleed thru.

[Posteroid]

I have exactly three linenbacked posters (in a collection of several thousand). Bought the first one many years ago to see whether I like posters on linen and realised I didn't. They don't feel like real posters anymore. Of the other two I bought backed, one I got cheap (and the backing quality is horrible), the other one I bought because I will probably not find an unbacked copy as it is incredibly rare.

Armin

[scartacus]

Ultimately the decision of whether to have a poster backed comes down to personal preference. Some collectors develop a deep seated hatred for linen posters -- step forward Holiday and Thierry -- others view it as a necessary step when a poster really needs it. I recently thought long and hard about backing and cleaning up a vintage quad of mine but I'm glad I did it. The defects of this poster distracted from the main image -- for me. But someone else might have been perfectly okay with those same defects. As a rule, I find that the same money that could be spent linen backing a poster, can be used to get a really decent archival frame. For instance, I recently took delivery of a Great Expectations 1948 one sheet that came in off ebay with multiple tears and looked really dog-eared -- but once I'd taped up some of the tears and put it in a frame, it all looks very presentable.

In summary, I think I'd rather have knackered, beaten up posters on my walls, rather than having pristine-looking, linen backed posters lying or rolled up in storage. But hey, that's just me...

 

[brude]

Have no linen-backed posters, but am considering a few one sheets to be backed and cleaned for presentation.  Any suggestions on who to do it and how much to pay?

[CSM]

In summary, I think I'd rather have knackered, beaten up posters on my walls, rather than having pristine-looking, linen backed posters lying or rolled up in storage. But hey, that's just me...

Well put!  They are meant to be seen.  Luckily for me, the majority of my collection is daybills and so, due to their size, they can easily be framed without being backed (as they do not sag or wrinkle under their own weight). 

I do think linenbacking has it's place though - if a poster is severly brittle and falling apart it becomes conservation.  And of course if restoration is really needed due to significant flaws, well backing is just about the only way to accomplish the restoration.

I strongly disagree with backing EVERYTHING because no matter how many times I read it is reversible, it is simply impossible the poster will ever go back to how it was (in its proper initial state) before backing. 

[Neo]

Have no linen-backed posters, but am considering a few one sheets to be backed and cleaned for presentation.  Any suggestions on who to do it and how much to pay?

I highly recommend Poster Conservation.  I may sound like an advertisement, but they have the best prices, extremely fast turnaround time, perform very high quality work, and have excellent customer service. A few posters of mine that were linen-backed by them turned out almost perfect.  They are all in frames on my walls, and I imagine they look better now than they did when the posters were originally in the theaters. The colors are all like the posters are brand new, and the material they are mounted to makes them feel and look like very high quality pieces.

Posters look the best, in my opinion, when they are hanging on the wall in an archival frame.  Being a perfectionist, little imperfections in the way most posters hang in the frame are major distractions from the artwork for me. Posters that are linen-backed look nearly perfect in a frame.  

Fixing posters with issues such as: fold-lines, wrinkles, paper-loss, fragile paper and paper with tears are all things that can generally take away from the artwork of the poster, for me.  I am starting to accept the minor imperfections in some posters, and can sometimes do without linen-backing to save the vintage feeling of them, as they almost have some story to tell from being handled or mishandled for so many years.  Some people can live with posters that are all jacked up, I am not one of those people.  For some posters, I don't want to give myself a heart attack if I breathe heavily while handling it, and the poster feels like it is about to disintegrate before my eyes, when linen-backing them would give me some peace of mind to not worry about the posters, and also bring them back to their full glory of when they were brand new.

[holiday]

They don't feel like real posters anymore.

Armin

Exactly.

[ddilts399]

I refuse to buy anything backed, just personal preference, never gonna happen.

[brude]

Thanks for the tips, NeoLoco.  I will let you know what I decide to have backed and when...

[scartacus]

It's at times like these that I miss our departed friend Harry Caul. What was the term he used to refer to the linen-haters? The LBP -- Linen Backer Police?

Whilst I prefer my posters unbacked, I'm quite happy to have a couple of linen backed numbers in my collection if the price makes sense. And in actual fact, when it comes to framing monster sizes -- 3 sheets and larger -- for practical reasons I would actually prefer the poster to be linen backed as it is a very difficult to frame a non backed poster once they get too big. Of course you could keep an oversize poster in your drawer, folded, naked and pure as the day it was brought into the world, but if you can't see it, that kind of defeats the object, which is to display the artwork. 

And for the record, I'm still looking for a linen backed three sheet to go in my 3 sheet frame!
 

[marklawd]

I have quite a few US three sheets and Italian two-foglios - I would consider backing these to allow easier viewing. In the meantime,  I use a small amount of archival tape on the reverse to connect up the two sections of the poster which then goes in a over-sized mylar pocket and then stored in a very wide diameter cardboard tube. I am also happy to back older posters in poor condition.

Generally, I avoid buying linen-backed posters and seek unbacked posters in the best possible condition, paying more for unfolded examples if available.  The most troubling auction description I can read is one where someone has linen-backed a poster that I am looking for and who proudly boasts that prior to backing it was previously in near mint condition. I do not bid on most occasions.

Mark