EDWARD ARDIZZONE POSTERS

Edward Ardizzone was a prolific book illustrator who also did commercial work, including some posters. Below are a list of the posters I know about that are original poster designs. There are other posters, such as some exhibition posters, where an existing image is used. I have not included these. Nor have I included items which are sometimes called posters but which I regard as prints e.g. the Guinness Fattest Woman and the image in the School Print series.

1. These Men Use Shell 1938 76 x 114cms. Shell. Polychromatic.

 

 2. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby 1947. 150 x 49cms. Ealing Studios. Polychromatic. Also issued in a horizontal version of 76 x 101cms and a series of 4 different images of 74 x 59cms.
NOTES: The above posters were all lithographs. It seems rather extraordinary to do 6 different posters for one film. There also exists a smaller format (28 x 43cms) press advert of the horizontal image but this is a line drawing with added colour, rather than drawn lithographically, and it shows some alterations to the composition.

3. The Strand 1947. I had this small poster once but do not have an image. It may have just used one of his Strand covers rather than being an original design. It was also printed on linen!


 

 

4. The Magnet 1950. 75 x 50cms. Ealing Studios. Polychromatic. Also issued in landscape format of 74 x 100cms and in a smaller format of 55 x 70cms

 

5. London Group 1951. 78 x 52.5cms. London Group. Red and black.

 

6. Guinness for Strength. 1954. 75 x 101cms. Also came in a large vertical format 152 x 101cms.  There are some differences in the 2 images, but whether it was re-drawn by Ardizzone or by the lithographer I'm not sure.There was also a longer horizontal poster with the image reversed (size unknown, although I believe it was in 64 sheets!).

7. Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 1969. 76 x 51cms. Royal Academy. Sepia, pink and bluish green.

GRAHAM SUTHERLAND POSTERS

 GRAHAM SUTHERLAND was another Modern British artist who did posters early in his career. Most are similar to his later work, but the GPO & Southern Railway ones are more prosaic. The London Transport posters are reproduced with permission. Their website is http://www.ltmcollection.org/
This is a preliminary list. I have only listed the posters I know of up to 1940. There are a lot of post-war exhibition posters, but mostly reproducing paintings, rather than specially designed posters by the artist.

1. Near Leeds, Kent 1932. 115 x 76cms. Shell. Polychromatic.

2. The Great Globe, Swanage 1932. 115 x 76cms. Shell. Polychromatic.

 

©TfL from the London Transport Museum collection

3. London's Country 1933.  101.5 x 63.5cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.
Note: The copy in the Transport Museum appears to be a proof before letters. I have assumed a similar title to item 4.

 ©TfL from the London Transport Museum collection

 4. London's Country 1933. 101.5 x 63.5cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.

5. Doctors Prefer Shell 1934. 115 x 76cms. Shell. Polychromatic.

6. Post Early 1934.  76 x 51cms. GPO. Polychromatic.

7. Post Early  1934. 51 x 38cms. GPO. Polychromatic.

Note: According to the Postal Museum items 6 and 7 were to encourage people to post early in the day, the former issued around the summer and the latter in December.   The Museum also records two abandoned Sutherland poster commissions, and one rejected one suggested by Sutherland himself (on badly packed parcels).

8. Royal Ascot 1935. Southern Railway. 102 x 63cms. Printed in red, ochre & grey.

Note: I have been unable to find images of the other 5 in the series: on bathing, rambles, cricket, football and docks.

©TfL from the London Transport Museum collection

9. How sweet I roamed.... 1936. 101.5 x 63.5cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.

 

 ©TfL from the London Transport Museum collection

10. Away by Green Line 1936. 101.5 x 63.5cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.
A 'pair poster' to item 9.

©TfL from the London Transport Museum collection

11. ....From Field to Field 1936.  101.5 x 63.5cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.

Note: It seems rather strange that the William Blake quote was divided between 2 sets of pair posters, unless they were meant to be displayed together.

 ©TfL from the London Transport Museum collection

12. Away by Metropolitan 1936. 101.5 x 63.5cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.
A  'pair poster' to item 11.

13. Brimham Rock 1937. 115 x 76cms. Shell. Polychromatic.

  ©TfL from the London Transport Museum collection

14. Go Out into the Country 1938. 101.5 x 63.5cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.

WILLIAM NICHOLSON POSTERS

I have decided to start off with the posters of William Nicholson. Nicholson is of course well known for his woodcuts and his painting, and (working with James Pryde as the Beggarstaff Brothers) as a great innovator of poster design. The posters I have come across under his own name are shown below, although some of these are merely adaptations of existing book designs and would probably have had no input from Nicholson from the point of view of the poster's design:

1. MR BLAKE OF NEWMARKET. 1897. 28 x 29cms. Printed in green & black. I guess this is more of a placard, being printed on a thin card and having 2 small holes at the top, allowing it to be hung, although I can't remember now whether these were printer's holes, or added later. The book was published with the same design stretching over both covers, in March 1897.

2. THE NEW REVIEW. June 1897. 31 x 25cms. Printed in red, black & ochre. Printed on thin card. An announcement of this famous image as a supplement to the first issue of The New Review. The image was later published in 1899 in Twelve Portraits, issued by the publishers Heinemann.




3. AN ALPHABET. 1897. 75 x 55.5cms. The book was published in October 1897, although the title page is post-dated 1898. The image shows the American issue, published by Russell in New York. Das Fruhe Plakat vol.1 no.20 gives the colours as pale brown, reddish brown & black.




4. LONDON TYPES 1898. 70 x 51cms. Printed in red, black & ochre. The book was published in November 1898 by Heinemann.
Note: As a poster was done for both the Alphabet & London Types, it is possible that one was done for An Almanac of Twelve Sports, published in November 1897 and post-dated 1898, but I have found no record of one.




5. SELFRIDGES OPENING 1909. 68 x 51cms. Printed in black. One of a series of posters done by various artists for the opening of the new Selfridges store. I have had this poster in the past, but unfortunately do not have an image.




6. THE DYNASTS 1914. a) Admiral Lord Nelson. 74 x 51cms. Brown, red & blue. Kingsway Theatre.


b) Napoleon Bonaparte. 74 x 51cms. Brown, red & blue. Kingsway Theatre.



c) Duke of Wellington. 74 x 51cms. Brown, red & blue. Kingsway Theatre.




7. AIRCRAFT PICTURES PAST AND PRESENT 1916. Size & colours not known. Fund-raising exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery.

8. POLLY 1922. c.74 x 49cms. Red, blue, mauve & black. Opera at the Kingsway Theatre.




9. CLEVER BILL 1926. 56 x 41cms. Colours not known.




10. FOOD AND FRUITS OF EMPIRE 1927. In 5 sections. 112 x 594cms. Colours not known. Done for The Empire Marketing Board. The posters were displayed together horizontally.


These are all the posters I have come across, although it would be nice to think there were posters for The Velveteen Rabbit & the Pirate Twins.

EDWARD BAWDEN POSTERS

EDWARD BAWDEN was a well-known artist book illustrator who also worked in a number of commercial fields, including ceramics, wallpaper and advertising. Included in the latter were a number of posters. My grateful thanks to the Estate of Edward Bawden & the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery of Bedford, & Transport for London for permission to use some of the images.

©TfL/Bawden Estate 

1. British Empire Exhibition 1924. London Transport. 101 x 127cms. Polychromatic. Done in collaboration with Thomas Derrick.




©TfL/Bawden Estate

2. Hyde Park 1925. London Transport.101 x 63cms. Polychromatic.




©TfL/Bawden Estate

3. Changing the Guard 1925. London Transport. 101 x 63cms. Polychromatic.





©TfL/Bawden Estate

4. The Natural History Museum 1925. London Transport. 76 x 50cms. Polychromatic. 
 




©TfL/Bawden Estate

5. This Week 1930. London Transport. 101 x 63cms. Printed in black & green. 






6. Dried Beet Pulp c.1931. 76 x 101cms. Polychromatic. I have seen a suggestion that this was done for the Empire Marketing Board, but have not found any confirmation. Credits are to Chas. Baker, Advertising Agents & the Curwen Press.




7. Le Tourquet 1935. 49 x 31cms. Imperial Airways. Black, blue and beige.




©TfL/Bawden Estate

8. Hyde Park 1936. 101 x 63cms. London Transport. Polychromatic. The same design, with different lettering, was used for St James's Park & Regent's Park.




©TfL/Bawden Estate

9. Kew Gardens 1936. 101 x 63cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.

 



©TfL/Bawden Estate 

10. Chestnut Sunday, Bushy Park 1936. 25 x 30cms. London Transport. Blue, red green & black.
 




©TfL/Bawden Estate

11. Tring, Downe, Westerham 1936. 101 x 63cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.
 




©TfL/Bawden Estate

12. Barking, Knebworth, Knole 1936. 101 x 63cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.
 





13. Walton Castle, Clevedon 1936. 76 x 115cms. Shell 'Visit Britain's Landmarks' series. Polychromatic.




©TfL/Bawden Estate

14. Aldershot Tattoo 1938. 25 x 30cms. London Transport. Polychromatic.


 



©TfL/Bawden Estate
 
15. Now for the Holidays 1936. 25 x 72cms. London Transport. Blue, brown, yellow & black.




©TfL/Bawden Estate
 
16. Indoor Sport 1939. London Transport. 101 x 63cms. Black, green & orange.




©TfL/Bawden Estate 
 
17. Kew Gardens 1939. London Transport. 101 x 63cms. Polychromatic.
 



18. Hue & Cry 1947. Ealing Studios. 100 x 76cms. Polychromatic. This poster also came in a vertical format.
 

©TfL/Bawden Estate 

19. City 1952. London Transport. Pair poster, each 101 x 63cms. Polychromatic.

 

20. The Titfield Thunderbolt 1953. Ealing Studios. 76 x 100cms. Polychromatic. This poster came in several sizes and formats.

21. York The Historic City 1954. 101 x 127cms. British Railways. Polychromatic.


 

22. Pictures for Schools 1966. Royal Academy of Arts 76 x 56cms. Red & green.

 

 23. Royal Academy 200th Summer Exhibition 1968. 76 x 51cms. Polychromatic. 

 24. Saffron Walden Festival 1975. 148.7 x 57.1cms. Colour linocut in red, yellow & grey.
Note: This was hand-printed by the artist, so not many copies would have been produced. Another copy shows the base in blue rather than yellow.

25. Edward Bawden at the Octagon 1978. Fitzwilliam Museum. 40 x 28cms. Brown & black.


It does seem rather a long gap between 1954 & 1966, so perhaps there are some others waiting to be recorded.