I was planning this post already but I decided to put it up today in honor of Mamie Van Doren‘s 85th birthday. She’s featured on two great examples in this small sampling from a private collection of over 200 rare, vintage posters printed for drive-in movie theaters. Haute Campe‘s collection of posters from the 40s-70s, originally went through a one distributor called National Screen Service, hence the “property of N.S.S.” at the bottom of 99% of the movie posters printed. The graphics, typography, colors and lurid glam here are still inspiring designers, photographers and even drag queens today. (The promos for Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race feature a vintage, “time-gone-by” glamour/camp.) There are bad girls, good-time girls, lesbians, “gay deceivers” and every sort of politically incorrect innuendo you can think of, so lighten up and let your inner freak loose. You can see even more here. The bidding starts at just $100 in many cases and the auction ends February 8.
