4.6 linear ft. of papers

This collection of 800 original movie heralds, also known as pressbook heralds, was compiled by a collector in France. Heralds were promotional notices or advertisements for current and upcoming films, intended to be distributed by hand by exhibitors. Heralds are normally printed inexpensively onto one sheet of paper, folded, and include a picture of the star or stars, along with general information about the film. A section was left blank to allow a theater to print their name and the dates and times of the screenings. Many measure 6 x 8.5 inches or 5 x 7 inches when open, although some are larger in size and can be more than one folded page.

Titles include AFTER THE THIN MAN (1936), FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940), FUNNY GIRL (1968), MOROCCO (1930), and PINOCCHIO (1940). Among the classic 1930s horror films represented are DRACULA (1931), FRANKENSTEIN (1931), and THE MUMMY (1932).

This medium of advertising faded out as movie trailers took over as a means of advertising coming attraction at theaters. Heralds were one piece of ephemera that a moviegoer could take home and save as a souvenir and collect. In this case, the heralds were purchased from poster dealers and on eBay.