Poster advertising the opening of the Free Library and Technical School at New Mills, Derbyshire

Poster advertising the opening of the Free Library and Technical School at New Mills, Derbyshire. It also advertises the opening of the free library and New Mills Technical School extension.

The Free Library and Technical School were opened by the Duke of Devonshire on Saturday 30th September 1899. The poster also advertises a Public Meeting and a Grand Concert. Posters are some of the earliest forms of visual communication and can be traced back to the 15th century, thanks to the invention of the printing press.

In the days before mass communication they were used to pass on information to the general public, such as promoting political parties, advertising products and events, recruiting soldiers and spreading ideas. Such posted notices influenced the development of typography as they were meant to be read from a distance and so required larger type to be produced. By the 19th century, text-heavy posters printed from woodblocks were commonplace, but the rise of the more colourful pictorial poster didn't come about until the middle of the century, following significant advances in printing techniques.