Painters Online Logo

Login/register

Studio

Inspiration from Artists Week 137 : Railway Posters .

Welcome to the forum.

Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.

Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.

Hang on Studio Wall
Showing page 1 of 4
Author
Message
IMG_3630

Paul (Dixie) Dean

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 21314
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6917
Posted
Welcome to this weeks thread we have one of our special week this week , Jenny will present at lead the week the chosen subject is Railway Posters . Have a good week , enjoy the presentation and the posters chosen .

Jenny Harris

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 4707
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 1898
Posted
RAILWAY POSTERS were extremely popular in the UK from the late 19th century through to the 1960s.  They were a means of railway companies advertising their new routes, which also coincided with a surge in industrialisation and the consequent increase in disposable income of the average working man.  At the same time, developments in the Litho printing process allowed for mass printing of large format images.  These posters were one of the first attempts at mass marketing, long before the introduction of television advertising.  The original posters were printed on relatively cheap paper and mainly designed to last for one season.  As railways and stations were subsequently closed, many posters were discarded and lost, but others survived and the National Railway Museum in York has the largest collection in the world - 10,000 posters, together with other railway artwork. The period between 1923 and 1948 is considered to be the Golden Age of the Railways.  The passing of the Railway Act in 1921 led to the grouping of many of Britain’s diverse railway companies into four new companies, collectively known as the Big Four - the London and North Eastern (LNER), the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS), the Great Western (GWR) and Southern (SR).  Over the next two decades, thousands  of railway posters were produced by all four (the largest of which was LMS) and later by British Rail. Many of these promoted specific holiday destinations in the UK and often depicted a highly romanticised view of post-war rural Britain.  Many small coastal villages were subsequently completely transformed by the arrival of large numbers of day visitors and holiday makers, many of whom had never seen a beach or the sea before. Industry posters were also produced, some depicting work on the railways, others promoting British industries or advertising trains such as the Flying Scotsman.  From the large number of posters I’ve looked at, I’ve selected 52 by 32 different artists, and will add them to this thread as five groups over the coming week. The first group of artists is - Charles Mayo,   Fred Taylor,   Andrew Johnson,   Gregory Brown,   Ethelbert White and Terence Cuneo. CHARLES MAYO FRED TAYLOR ANDREW JOHNSON GREGORY BROWN ETHELBERT WHITE TERENCE CUNEO

Edited
by Jenny Harris

IMG_3630

Paul (Dixie) Dean

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 21314
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6917
Posted
Thank you Jenny for the excellent introduction and all the information you provided. I’m already enjoying the chosen artist and will make a note of their names to look up each one throughout the week.

Alan Bickley

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 11888
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 4488
Posted
Just fabulous, I’ve always loved the style of these now nostalgic and highly collectible posters. A combination of traditional painting and illustration, in most cases anyway! Great informative intro Jenny. I’ve got a few favourites, Rowland Hilder being one of them, I’ll have a look in the morning and post a couple! Ely Cathedral Rowland Hilder 

Edited
by Alan Bickley

My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
Fantastic intro Jenny.  Great memories, and a wonderful array of art and style. A few I like. Cuneo's realist style... Frank Newbould's flat colour style... Alexeieff's  Night Scotsman... I thought, and still think, of these posters as an everyman's art gallery.
profile

Tony Auffret

  • Respected User
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 712
Posted
These are endlessly fascinating, though looking on-line I found it difficult to decide if some were genuine or just a recent attempt to sell 'in vogue' contemporary posters.  Here are a few I have chosen for no other reason that they are places I have been associated with;
P1080764

Carol .

  • Respected User
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 658
Posted
Excellent introduction, Jenny. The posters are marvelous. I can vaguely remember this style of travel poster, and also the huge posters outside the picture houses, when I was a child.
IMG_3630

Paul (Dixie) Dean

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 21314
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 6917
Posted
Superb selection of poster folks , I loved them when we were travelling in the 50/60s . I also loved the paintings yiu found in the old carriages some excellent landscapes , seascapes etc .  I’ll e to see some of those again I would probably take more notice of the artists names , but as a youngster I was taken by the painting and wanted to paint like that .

Jenny Harris

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 4707
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 1898
Posted
DAY 2    Featured artists are - Norman Wilkinson,    Edward Pond,    A.R Thompson,               Frank Newbould,    Frank Wootton,    Walter Spradbery NORMAN WILKINSON EDWARD POND A. R. THOMPSON FRANK NEWBOULD FRANK WOOTTON WALTER SPRADBERY

Edited
by Jenny Harris

Tessa Gwynne

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 8449
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 3421
Posted
Thank you Jenny for a really interesting introduction to these, and especially for naming the artists chosen. I love the logo ‘Live in Kent and be Content’!, and remember some years ago a trip to the NRM in York where some of these posters were displayed, a great day out for any railway enthusiasts.
My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6309
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2573
Posted
What a wealth of art styles in these posters. A few more...the only name I have for the first is 'Allinson'. A few by unnamed artists... I especially like this one, in Art Deco style... This Felixstowe poster sold recently at auction for £3370.

Alan Bickley

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 11888
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 4488
Posted
So many variations of style on show, most illustrative, a few traditional paintings - I’ve spent ages looking through these this morning, I could never get bored with them! For me, one of the best threads so far, and there’s been some outstanding work on show throughout the series, so I don’t say that lightly…
Showing page 1 of 4