[epilot]

Originally Posted by ty901

in the "olden days" posters were stored and shipped flat / folded. after years of folding & unfolding the seams start to fail. when the prices of early 20th century French advertising posters started to go through the roof back in the 60s & 70s, followed by early Hollywood stuff the restoration technology of the day was to back the piece with Irish linen. this was only done to a piece that was literally in danger of crumbling under it's own weight.
today the real reason for "linen" mounting is simply to benefit trade show dealers. unframed art work lies very flat & looks great on display. further, the art travels well incurring little or no damage. there is no evidence that mounting is an act of preservation, except in extreme circumstances as outlined above.
hopefully this doesn't seem like a rant

thanks, not ranting, appreciate the insight, wish i had the money to spare ...
regards