I am having a current small love affair with French school posters and maps from the 50's and 60's as wall decor. In the US, I have only seen reproductions, but over here in Europe, they are thick on the ground.
Most have small tears around the edges; many times they have finger smudges and other markings but I just love the graphics. They are incredibly politically incorrect, but I think they are hilarious.
Tell me, love or hate? Here are a few that I have picked up in the last few months. The printing is probably too small to read, but the funniest one is the Eskimos. The title of the poster is "Dan Les Pays Froids", which means "In the Cold Countries". On the opposite side of that one is a picture of "Les Tropicaux" or the Tropics, but I'm afraid to post a photo because Al Sharpton will be after me.
<img class="wpforo-default-image-attachment wpforoimg" src=" http://old.designaddict.com/sites/default/files/forum/Lille027. 
The frames
are a separate hunt. Most sellers at the markets have one frame with a whole series of posters in the frame and they will not sell the frame, just the individual posters, because they need the frame for display/transport, etc. I just kept persevering and eventually found a dealer who would sell me some empty frames.
There's no glass or anything in the frame. The inside piece lifts up and away from the backing so the teacher could change the posters easily. The frames are meant to hold about 10 posters, so I had to add some "bulk" with a bit of felt padding along the inner edge to make a single poster stay in tightly.
It's either a washing machine or a dishwasher. When did they start using dishwashers? I don't think we had one until the 70's.
Pricewise they run about 8 Euros each. The maps and posters that are mounted on canvas and have rollers are more expensive. The Dutch map on the wall in the bedroom was 40 Euros.
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