Around 1995, in addition to their archives, De Melkweg and Paradiso began to hand over a large part of their collections of posters to the International Institute of Social History (IISG). The selection on view here includes 5,160 posters advertising concerts, festivals, movies, demonstrations and other events that took place in the years 1970-1999.

Though all the posters are not equally spectacular, many are beautifully designed and all convey a faithful picture of a fascinating period, which De Melkweg patrons and Paradiso-goers of the day will remember with pleasure and, perhaps, some nostalgia.

The extensive information the posters give on the programs in the weeks and months to come is only summarized in the accompanying description. Whereas posters always mention the day(s) and the month a band is going to perform, mentioning the year was (and still is) not common practice. As a result, the year some events took place is not clear and must be guessed.