Walk inside Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee, www.nashville.com and you’ll see an entire wall covered to the ceiling with posters for Grand Old Opry stars like Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Bill Monroe. Contemporary clients include Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Wynona Judd, and Coldplay. www.visitmusiccity.com
The shop is crowded with shelves and cabinets filled with basswood and maple wood blocks, thousands of photo plates, countless drawers of wood and metal type, and 14 historic printing presses—seven of which are still operable. These antique blocks and the presses that use them not only were saved from destruction, but they are once again being used to produce handcrafted posters that are in high demand from entertainers and the private sector.
The constant whoosh and click of presses closing down on design forms reflects the working atmosphere of the shop. Staff and interns move about quietly but diligently, sorting through and selecting font sizes from methodically organized shelves, stirring ink to the proper consistency in hand-held bowls, and setting type for anything from concert or wedding posters to advertisements for jeans or barbeque sauce. The process starts with a client’s text. Then designers hand-select and mix dyes, create a custom look that captures the essence of the band or product, and fit it all into dimensions of the selected poster size. From myriad drawers and shelves, designers choose letters and hand-carved images to compete the motif. When all components are laid out, the design form is set in a press and locked in. The machine is set to press wood and metal images against paper, creating posters.
Started by Charles and Herbert Hatch in 1879 (the same year Edison invented the light bulb), the business flourished during the early 20
th century—a time when show posters created the excitement that sold the show. The brothers created posters that adorned buildings and barns to announce any circus, minstrel show, vaudeville art, or carnival that came to town. They captured the magic of country music with their simplicity and balance between text and style. An unmistakable Hatch “look” developed as part of the southern entertainment culture.
Owned and operated by the Country Music Hall of Fame since 1992, Hatch Show Print
www.countrymusichalloffame.com has moved into a second golden era as a non-profit organization dedicated to reinstating and perpetuating a Nashville icon. Housed in an historic building on Broadway (only 60 feet from the original location beside the Ryman Theater), the shop strives to print posters that are affordable for today’s clients. About 60 percent of the business consists of orders for 100 to 250 posters, but it’s not unusual for a repeat client like B. B. King to order 7,000 a year for sale at concert concessions
Americana collectors love capturing the look and feel of country music from the 1940s and 1950s through vintage posters. Monoprints created by Sherraden based on detailed woodblock images left by Will T. Hatch, the last family manager (1886-1952), are also popular items. “There’s a humanity and organic feel to these posters that’s missing with modern print technology,” Sherraden says.
"Hatch Show Print: the History of a Great American poster shop," by Jim Sherriaden, Elek Horvath, Paul Kingbury (Chronicle Books)
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Comments
What a great article! I had no clue this shop was still in operation. I'll be passing this along to all my theatre friends in need of promo materials.
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