Historic Kilkenny auction posters to feature in Arts Festival exhibition
Many of the posters were produced by the Kilkenny People printing works on James's Street, while others came from The Kilkenny Journal printing works on The Parade
A remarkable collection of original Kilkenny auction posters spanning more than 70 years will go on public display during this year's Kilkenny Arts Festival, offering a unique glimpse into the social, commercial and legal history of the city and county.
The exhibition, featuring iconic posters dating from the 1880s to the 1950s, will be housed in the Village Inn, Upper Patrick Street, Kilkenny, from Thursday, August 6 to Sunday, August 16.Produced at a time long before radio, television or social media, the posters were the principal means of advertising major property and land sales.
Beyond simply announcing auctions, they documented the lives, fortunes and changing ownership of generations of Kilkenny families, preserving stories that might otherwise have been lost to history.
Unlike a lot of modern advertising, the posters provided exhaustive detail, identifying who was selling, under what authority, and setting out every legal encumbrance associated with the property. Land Commission annuities, rights of way, trusts and other legal conditions were meticulously recorded, making the posters valuable historical documents as well as striking examples of commercial printing.
Many of the posters were produced by the Kilkenny People printing works on James's Street, while others came from The Kilkenny Journal printing works on The Parade. Their distinctive design, featuring bold Romanesque lettering, balanced typography and symmetry that reflected the emerging Art Deco aesthetic, has made them enduring examples of the printer's craft.All of the posters on display come from the McCreery and Sons archive on Parliament Street, Kilkenny.
The exhibition has been organised to mark the 150th anniversary of the firm's founding in 1876. The auctions advertised on the posters were originally conducted on Parliament Street, on the steps of Kilkenny Courthouse, where buyers and sellers gathered for many of the city's most significant property sales.
The exhibition shines a light on Kilkenny's rich heritage, offering a rare opportunity to view these original printed works that once lined walls and shopfronts across the city and county.