A blacklight poster or black light poster is a
poster printed with inks which
fluoresce
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, tha ...
under a
black light.
[ The inks used contain phosphors which cause them to glow when exposed to ]ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...
light emitted from black lights.[
]
Overview
Although black lights date to 1903 with the development of the optical filter
An optical filter is a device that selectively transmits light of different wavelengths, usually implemented as a glass plane or plastic device in the optical path, which are either dyed in the bulk or have interference coatings. The optical ...
glass
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...
Wood's glass
Wood's glass is an optical filter glass invented in 1903 by American physicist Robert Williams Wood (1868–1955), which allows ultraviolet and infrared light
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation ...
, fluorescent ink was not developed until 1932 when the Switzer brothers were inspired by a '' Popular Science'' magazine article to experiment in their father's pharmacy. Their Day-Glo Color Corp. marketed the ink chiefly to the military before a counterculture
A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...
emerged to embrace the aesthetic.[Ensminger, David. "Black Light Panthers: The Politics of Fluorescence," ''Art in Print'' Vol. 5 No. 2 (July–August 2015).] The 1960s saw the pervasive use of recreational drugs, especially mass use of hallucinogen
Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...
ics such as LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
(lysergic acid diethylamide), mescaline, and marijuana for the first time. With the ability to glow and vibrate under ultraviolet light, the posters could simulate the sensations and visual distortions one experienced during an acid trip
A psychedelic experience (known colloquially as a trip) is a temporary altered state of consciousness induced by the consumption of a psychedelic substance (most commonly LSD, mescaline, psilocybin mushrooms, or DMT). For example, an acid tri ...
.
In the United States, blacklight posters emerged as part of the psychedelic fashion scene between 1967 and 1969.[ The style was popular in advertisements for concerts at venues like ]the Fillmore
The Fillmore is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California.
Built in 1912 and originally named the Majestic Hall, it became the Fillmore Auditorium in 1954. It is in Western Addition, on the edge of the Fillmore District and Upper Fillm ...
and Avalon Ballroom
The Avalon Ballroom was a music venue in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, California, at 1244 Sutter Street (or 1268 Sutter, depending on the entrance). The space is known as the location of many concerts of the counterculture move ...
, and further promoted and commercialized by companies like Pandora Productions (established in Minneapolis, 1964) and the Houston Black Light Company (Houston, 1969). Designs ranged from respectful copies of concert posters to prurient adolescent fantasies. At its height radical black artists found inspiration in the aesthetic, such as Faith Ringgold's series of ''Black Light'' paintings that eschewed any white pigment, or Barbara Jones-Hogu's prints (especially ''Relate to Your Heritage''). Commercial producers happily reciprocated by incorporating blaxploitation themes into their posters, as in George Goode's series for the Houston Black Light Company and George Stowe Jr.'s work for One Stop Posters.
Since then, the art form has gone out of fashion and is generally viewed as a relic of the 1970s.[
Although blacklight posters have continually been produced since the 1960s, there has been a resurgence in popularity since 2007 as blacklight and glow-in-the-dark parties have become more popular. As of 2014, there are five companies actively producing new and classic ]flocked
Flocking is the process of depositing many small fiber particles (called flock) onto a surface. It can also refer to the texture produced by the process, or to any material used primarily for its flocked surface. Flocking of an article can be per ...
blacklight posters in a wide range of content, including music, nature, and pop culture. The black parts of these posters are overlaid with black flocking, which gives it a velvet
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
feel, and these are often referred to as velvet posters.
Artists continue to make use of the material, notably Dorothy Cross
Dorothy Cross (born 1956) is an Irish artist. Working with differing media, including sculpture, photography, video and installation, she represented Ireland at the 1993 Venice Biennale. Central to her work as a whole are themes of sexual and cu ...
's 1998 ''Ghost Ship'' (a decommissioned light ship painted to glow at night, evoking the pigment's original military purposes), or Hank Willis Thomas
Hank Willis Thomas (born 1976 in Plainfield, New Jersey; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) is an American conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to identity, history, and popular culture.
Early life and education
Hank Willis Th ...
's 2014 screenprints ''And I Can't Run'' and ''Blow the Man Down'' (exposing black victims under fluorescent light, evoking the pigment's historic association with black radicalism).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blacklight Poster
Posters
Hippie movement
1970s fads and trends
Drug culture
Fluorescence
Novelty items