Pamplin Collection Expands Western Movie Poster Collection

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - Feb 29, 2016) - Robert B. Pamplin Jr., America's leading historical preservationist and foremost diversified entrepreneur, has expanded the Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. International Collection of Art and History to include more than 300 movie posters for westerns made from the 1920s to 1980s, including recently acquired posters from a number of Clint Eastwood westerns from the 1970s and '80s.

Advertising classic movies like "The Life of Buffalo Bill" (1912), "Shane" (1953) and James Stewart's "The Broken Arrow" (1950), the posters have a distinct aesthetic, featuring drawings rather than movie stills or photographs, with images, colors and lettering that are designed to attract attention, stimulate interest, and convey the atmosphere and the action of the movie. Older posters in the collection from the 1910s to 1920s use stone lithography printing, which requires etching into limestone, followed by an inking process that must be done for each color in the final image.

Some of the posters feature lead actors who are known primarily for their work in westerns, such as Roy Rogers in "South of Santa Fe" (1942) and John Wayne in "The Man From Utah" (1934), while others highlight stars with a much broader repertoire, like Errol Flynn in "They Died With Their Boots On" (1941) and Humphrey Bogart in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948).

"Western movies have played a key role in mass entertainment over the past century and although people periodically lament the decline of the western, they always seem to resurface," said Pamplin. "These posters remind us of the enduring appeal of the western genre -- the wide open spaces, the action scenes, the mixture of history and legend, and the triumph of good over evil."

The posters are held alongside one of the largest collections of Wild West arts and antiquities in private ownership -- including famous historical figures such as Jesse James, Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill. To learn more about The Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. International Collection of Art and History and its more than 100,000 items of historical significance, or to view a selection of the western movie poster collection, visit www.pamplincollection.org.

To learn more about Dr. Pamplin and his many historical preservation endeavors visit www.pamplin.org.

About Robert B. Pamplin Jr.
Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. has earned eight degrees -- including two doctorates -- in business, economics, accounting, education and theology. He has been honored nationally as a businessman, philanthropist, ordained minister, educator, historical preservationist, and author of 23 books and comic books including two book-of-the-month club selections. Dr. Pamplin's business interests include media -- Portland Tribune and 25 community newspapers -- textiles, construction, and agriculture. He has been awarded many honorary degrees, and featured in national magazines, newspapers and on television. He has served on presidential and state commissions, and has been chairman of the board of trustees for three colleges. Pamplin is widely recognized as America's leading historical preservationist and foremost diversified entrepreneur. National and local publications have written of Dr. Pamplin -- "Not since the late Victorians has any person accomplished so much in a...single concentrated life." For more information, visit www.pamplin.org. For more information about Pamplin's preservation efforts, visit www.pamplincollection.org.