There are several sites that I have used as reference on period display typography. Most are bookmarked at home, but here are a few right now:

Contemporary posters divided into categories: AllPosters.com
A great resource on Advertising in America 1850-1920
No posters, but great for vintage ads in magazines Ad*Access

If you browse through some of the galleries presented on LetterheadFonts.com, you can see contermporary designs using “antique-styled” typefaces.
- Main Gallery
- Portfolio 5

Hello Nadine,
It is difficult to find sites where only typographic posters have been created. There would be many more with images. My guess would be that design schools, probably European ones like the Netherlands, would be the most likely resource. I will look at my bookmarks when I get home.

ChrisL

BTW- you can always show them samples of Herb Lubalin’s work if you haven’t done so already.

Linotype - Lubalin

Also, a very nice compilation of typographic designs done by a student at UCLA. Particularly note timeline samples from 60s — 90s.
Design for Print & Digital Media by Silvia Rigon

Yet another link — not sure if you are plugged-in to the Teaching Designers Network, an international group of teaching designer which you can join.

Hope this helps. Also, I would be very interested in viewing any samples of your students’ projects.

One of my favorite places to look at posters: http://www.posterpage.ch/pbookm.htm

A good blog about posters: http://www.posterwire.com/

Chisolm gallery in NYC: http://www.vintagepostersnyc.com/

thanks for the help :)

(looking at the many posters....)

I wiiish I would be able to afford some of these.:
www.internationalposter.com/style.cfm ( ’Typographic’.. I am / Typophile is not able to link directly to the sub site, but select ’Int’l Typographic Style’.. )

Dav, formlos