Vintage Wild West Exhibition Poster Plaque – Joaquin Murrieta \"The Head of... For Sale

A fantastic piece of vintage Western Americana decor featuring the legendary California Gold Rush outlaw, Joaquin Murrieta. This is a classic mid-to-late 20th-century novelty reproduction of the macabre 1853 broadside advertising the public exhibition of \"The Head of Joaquin\" and \"The Hand of Three-Fingered Jack\" at the Stockton House.

Rather than a simple paper print, this piece was crafted using a popular 1970s decoupage transfer technique. The parchment-style poster was mounted directly onto a wood backing panel and finished with a thick, protective glaze layer before being secured in a heavy, rustic wood frame typical of the era.

Condition Details & Vintage Character:

This piece has a wonderful, authentic \"saloon-worn\" look that cannot be replicated by modern digital reprints. Because it has genuinely aged for 40 to 50 years, the materials show beautiful vintage degradation:

• Surface Texture: The fine, vertical grain of the wood backing panel subtly telegraphs through the paper print under the glossy topcoat.

• Craquelure/Crazing: There is a genuine, age-related horizontal hairline fracture in the brittle

-old varnish layer (visible cutting through the red letter \"J\"), giving it the look of an old oil painting.

• The Backing: The reverse side is sealed with overlapping strips of period-correct paper masking tape. The tape adhesive has naturally dried out, darkened, and turned brittle over the decades, confirming its mid-century origins.

• Frame: Housed in its original solid wood frame, which shows light, appropriate vintage wear.

Perfect for home bars, man caves, Western historians, or collectors of rugged 1970s Americana decor. It comes ready to hang and bring a bit of California Gold Rush history to your wall.