VINTAGE 1930s style UNDERGROUND POSTERS TO SELL AT BONHAMS

Friday, 20 April 2007 02:16

London - A remarkable sale of vintage London Underground ( Subway) posters celebrating the delights of the capital in spring and summer will take place at Bonhams on 9 May 2007 at 101 New Bond Street, London.  These posters form part of a unique private collection of 350 travel posters which has been unseen for decades, and illustrate the charm of London in the 1920s and 1930s.  Among them are works by some of the most influential and gifted poster artists of the day, such as Edward McKnight Kauffer, Frederick Herrick, Edward Bawden, Austin Cooper, Rex Whistler and Charles Pears.

These seasonal posters promote leisure travel in London, such as visiting spring flowers at Kew and Hampton Court, and shopping for new clothes in the summer sales.

Following in the tradition of the great Parisian poster artists Tolouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha, those responsible for much of the output during the ‘Golden Age’ of British posters embraced color and modernism in their advertisements for both commercial and public services.  One of the most striking and successful campaigns was that for London Transport, which embraced the new decorative (‘Deco’) style in its bill-posters which sprang up around the capital.

“This really is the most remarkable collection of posters I have seen for many years,” remarks Robert Kennan, Head of Prints at Bonhams.  “Not only are they works of art in their own right, these posters are visual representations of an era now long-gone.  These seminal works will prove extremely popular with both collectors and private buyers.”

Since the London Underground opened in 1863, it has been used for both pleasure and business trips.  Whilst commuters inevitably make up the majority of passengers during ‘rush hour,’ the Underground soon realized it had much to gain from promoting leisure travel, and decided to follow in the footsteps of the main line railway companies in producing attractive material enticing potential passengers to enjoy the hidden delights of Great Britain.  In 1908 the London Underground began to publish its own stylish advertising placards and by the 1920s was producing seminal works of poster art promoting shopping, nights out, sport, parks, day-trips, sight-seeing and more.  These now-iconic images represent the ‘Golden Age’ of British poster design, and the selection to be sold at Bonhams offers the buyer a true cross-section of Underground advertising.

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is the world's oldest and largest auctioneer of fine art and antiques remaining with British ownership. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives offering sales advice and valuation services in 25 countries.  For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of more than 50 Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com.