FAQ

Instead of the answer supplied when addressing breast implants, “of course they’re real, I paid for them”, the response in this case is that we deal only in period artworks from the 1880s through the 1970s.

As the poster market- especially film posters- appear to be overflowing with reproductions, fakes, and scams that would make The Mack blush, it’s important to know exactly who you are buying from. Haute Campe is a division (some would say the underbelly?) of highly reputed art gallery Century Guild, and important and valuable artworks previously ours are now on permanent display in museum collections including The Art Institute of Chicago and the Detroit Institute of Art. Everything we carry is absolutely, unequivocally guaranteed to be authentic and original.

Short answer again? Because you’re not living with your parents anymore.

Ok, maybe you still do… AND you have a tricked-out basement that rivals the Batcave for ceiling height. But in one word, it’s a detail thing. When you’re looking at something printed today, it’s likely a copy of a copy of a copy. The $15 prints all over eBay are someone taking a small jpeg off of the internet and running it off on their printer. It’s the difference between the sound at a concert, and two tin cans and a string. If you can’t tell the difference? You’ve got a whole other set of problems to worry about.

Antique- and vintage pieces- have an inherent value because of this quality that, in many cases, make them excellent investments as well. It’s nice to have something on your wall that is the beginning of an adult collection, and not something made on a printer that once you get over the image was, for investment purposes, just a negative-value waste of paper and ink.

We recommend archival framing, and are happy to help advise you- or your framer- in this regard. We have framed quarter-of-a-million dollar premiere posters for Puccini operas, and treat Ilsa The She Wolf and Shaft with the same respect- in a century, we want these to be just as intact as they are today.

Give us a phone call, send an email, or just drop something in the shopping cart! We are even more excited about new collectors than museums or institutions, because we were once new collectors, ourselves, and we remember what that first step feels like! It can be a difficult one, and be warned- once you live with vintage art, it’s an addiction- your eye will acclimate to the superior quality of the antique inks and printing techniques, and NO reproduction will give you the same thrill ever again!

Above all else- HAVE FUN! Vintage art should inspire you when you walk into your studio, living room, Man Cave, dressing room, or parlor. We personally have found that these exploitation images are fantastic in creative environments, and spaces where a lot of entertaining goes on- they are obviously conversation starters!