I discovered a certain London museum late in life, after my beloved grandmother insisted that I accept a birthday gift from her. Not wanting for much, I reluctantly took £20 and went off in search of something for my walls. Wandering aimlessly through Covent Garden, I walked inside the doors of the London Transport museum and found myself in its gift store. There, I found an enormous collection of vintage Underground posters - colourful, vibrant, dazzling. Having taken the tube from a young age and, now living abroad, buying a couple of prints like a fine idea. After all, there’s nothing like the Underground to make a Londoner feel warm and fuzzy!
And so I did…and took them back to Tel Aviv where, now mounted, they hang on my salon walls and are a daily reminder of all that I am missing!
As an art form, these posters encompass well over 100 years of art, and have promoted so many talented artists (those who were well-known and those who were still emerging). Today, I’m told there are thousands of them….but it’s the vintage ones that really appeal to me. Here are seven of my favourites, that both comfort and inspired me…
1. Brightest London and Home by Underground - Horace Taylor, 1924
‘Brightest London and Home by Underground’ depicts wealthy diners being entertained at a rather fancy establishment. This is indicative of a number of posters of the time which depicted London as a glamourous and decadent city. The artist is Horace Taylor, who studied at the Camden School of Art, the Royal Academy in London and the Royal Academy in Munich and actually began his career as a stage designer and cartoonist for the Manchester Guardian.
2. The Lure of the Underground - Alfred Leete, 1927
I’m in love with this poster.
Designed by Alfred Leete, it shows London in all its 1920’s glory.
The red, open-topped omnibuses, the policeman with his old-fashioned hat, the worker with his flat cap and the women with their fashionable bonnets…they are all painstakingly drawn.
The lure of the underground is a great title because this poster really depicts the ‘magnetic’ appeal of the transport system.
Fun fact: Leete also designed the famous World War I recruitment poster starring Lord Kitchener and his dramatic, pointing finger, entitled ‘Your County Needs You.’
Leete had no formal art training but his humourous illustrations, cartoons and posters were very popular.
3. Summer Sales - Mary Koop, 1925
The summer sales, each year, in London are a fantastic opportunity to find the perfect outfit and this poster was commissioned to promote travel into central London for the summer of 1925.
Umbrellas were, in fact, a popular symbol in many designs of the 20’s and these colourful creations were ideal for catching the eye of the viewer.
The poster’s image is wonderfully geometric and symmetrical. It’s also apt because, as anyone who has visited England knows, whatever the season it’s inadvisable to leave home without an umbrella!
Mary Koop studied at the Croydon School of Art and the London School of Art under J M Swan and Frank Brangwyn.
She also exhibited three times at the Royal Academy.
4. London's Offer - George Him and Jan Le Witt, 1938
London theatre is famous the world over - and for good reason. I love this design, with its rich orange-red hues of the stage curtain and the arms peeking out from behind it.
George Him and Jan Le Witt established a design partnership in Warsaw in 1933. Him studied comparative history of religions in Moscow, Berlin and Bonn before turning his attention to graphic art. Le Witt was self-taught, after trying his hand at mechanical engineering, bricklaying and agriculture. Both were Jewish and fled Poland, after the Nazis came to power, making their home in England.
5. Kew Gardens by Tram - Ella Coates, 1910
Kew Gardens, close to Richmond in south west London, is the world’s largest botanical gardens.
Established over 250 years ago, its history can be traced back to 1759 when Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III, founded a botanical garden there. Complete with a Palm House, Pagoda, Herborium (and much more), it is much-loved by Londoners and tourists alike.
I love this poster - not just the use of the old-fashioned word ‘tram’ (which I’d be glad if they’d bring back in London) but the water lilies in the ponds, and the trees surrounding them.
Ella Coates was born in 1889 and studied at the London School of Art. She was commissioned for two London Transport posters by Frank Pick whilst there, the first of these was 'Kew Gardens by Tram.'
At this time, she was in fact living in Kew!
6. Too Much of a Good Thing - John Henry Lloyd, 1910
Is there ever too much of a good thing? Not according to this poster.
Between 1910-199, Lloyd produced a number of posters for the Underground. Here, we see a family standing at the entrance to an Underground station, staring at a number of destinations, no doubt wondering where to go for their outing.
Fun fact: the posters you see the family staring at are actual posters produced by the Underground! This shows you just how many places you could travel to on a day out, even 100 years ago.
I love the depiction of the children pulling at their father’s arms, as he studies the posters! It’s so apt.
We do not know too much about John Henry Lloyd, save that he appears to have been a commercial artist working for the printers Johnson, Riddle and Company.
Other posters he designed included ‘As the Crow Flies’ and ‘Book to Wood Lane.’
7. The West End is Awakening - Ernest Michael Dinkel, 1931
London’s famed ‘West End’ truly does have a bit of everything - shopping, restaurants, museums, galleries, cinemas and theatre - so there really is everything there for your pleasure.
I love the colour scheme here - hues of blues and greys - with St. Paul’s Cathedral at the top of the poster (surrounded by many other church spires) and then the hustle and bustle of the nightlife below.
The blazing lights of the cinemas and theatre, with red double deckers and silhouettes of people out on the town beside them- really does reminds me of how I perceived central London as a child!
Ernest Dinkel was born in Yorkshire and studied at the local technical college, before going on to the Royal College of Art, 1921-1925. . He subsequently taught there, before becoming head of the School of Design at Edinburgh.
