A dynamic collection of photographs documenting bold, sometimes unconventional outdoor advertisements for a variety of silent films, most of which are accompanied by informative captions explain the methods at work.

Included are four photographs of advertisements for a showing of the 1922 silent film “The Storm” in New York City. Shot by Lewis F. Nathan, these four photos show a large outdoor billboard, a view of the theater’s lobby decorated with a large cardboard telephone inviting prospective film-goers to “call of (their) appointments the storm is coming,” and two shots of the exterior of the building, strewn with ads for the film (including on the sidewalk). There is also a photo of the Lyceum Theater in Bayonne, N.J., employing a similar technique to advertise the film “The Wild Goose.”

There are four photographs showing elaborate window displays. Two are for “The Great Inspiration” at the Rialto Theatre in Times Square. These advertisements do double-duty, pitching both the novel and the film, with window cards declaring “it’s a wonderful book” and “it’s a wonderful picture!” Also shown is an elaborate art deco cardboard window display for the Gloria Swanson film, “The Great Moment” and a less-than-elaborate display for “Affairs of Anatol,” which consists of stills from the film and hand-written text hastily taped to a window.

Two double-weight photos from Scottsbluff, Nebraska, showcase advertisements for the 1921 Cecil B. Demille picture “The Forbidden Fruit.” The first shows a parade float with a couple dressed as Adam and Eve, and the second, initially-puzzling image is of a young man with a camera and an oversized fake nose. The caption on the back explains that, “This boy was on the street continuously for two days, and whenever he saw occasion, either with one or a group, he would set his camera, hold up his hand to arrest attention and state ‘It’s a great picture,’whereupon he would turn and walk away from them, displaying the sign ‘FORBIDDEN FRUIT.”

Another pair of unusual photographs depict a life-size golem, wearing a sign with text in English and Yiddish, announcing the 1920 silent horror film “The Golem” by Paul Wegener, an early, influential example of German Expressionism on screen. There is also a pair of surreal photos of a man on stilts, dressed in a comically-oversized white suit, with a cloth sign on his back which declares that Paramount Pictures is “Above Them All!” then advertises the films, “The Mystery Road,” “The Great Moment” and “The Golem.”

The last photograph in the collection is a Walker Evans-esque image of a handsome outdoor sign for the “Gilded Lily. There is an interesting first-person caption, written by an unidentified salesperson, which reads, “Photograph illustrating an attempt on my part to influence Mr. Frank Fairchild, Manager of the Curren Theatre in Boulder, Colo., to change his stands more often. Mr. Fairchild uses 24-sheets on all his three-day pictures and follows them up a week before the picture shows. My argument is that they should be replaced by something along the lines of this picture. in this way proving doubly advantageous to him, and incidentally selling him a little more paper than heretofore. As to the effect obtained, the picture speaks for itself.”