The Art of the Poster - London Transport at War: Second World War

In my previous blog, I’ve looked at posters commissioned by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) between 1916-1918. Now turning to the Second World War, I have selected posters dating from 1944.

The tide had clearly turned in favour of the Allies after D-Day on 6 June 1944. Though, of course, the conflict would continue well into 1945 with Victory in Europe Day declared on 8 May. This sense of impending victory was therefore at the centre of some poster publicity from London Transport (LT) during 1944. A number of commissions were published that were intended to reassure troops of what they had been fighting for, as well as to reassure LT staff and passengers of what the war effort had achieved so far.

The day will come when the joybells will ring again, Anna Katrina Zinkeisen, 1944

This poignant yet stunning design confirms the nation’s aspirations for a future devoid of war. An Allied victory is clearly anticipated in this 1944 poster, which includes a quote from Britain’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, made in January 1940. In line with similar practice during the First World War, this poster would have been displayed in billets housing British troops across the theatre of war.

The woman is leading her family into a brighter future leaving behind the horrors of war, as suggested by the war grave and instruments of war beneath the figures and the blood-soaked garment hanging from the tree to the left. She gives her husband a reassuring glance whilst the boy is eager to explore the country’s restored freedom. The boy is tugging the hand of the man who maybe shows some degree of trepidation having recently returned from fighting as suggested by his scanty attire. No shoes are worn, perhaps alluding to the financial hardship experienced by so many at that time.

Zinkeisen’s use of subdued colour is akin to Fred Taylor’s similar use and purpose of such colour in his First World War posters, London Memories. The red is a stark reminder of the very recent past. The almost balletic poise given to the two adults is reminiscent of the great dancing duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their musical films at this time.   

Anna Zinkeisen designed posters predominantly for LT including some striking panel posters after 1933. Her sister Doris was also an artist, who designed posters for the mainline railway companies. Doris did one design, At the theatre in 1939 for LT. This was never issued because of the outbreak of war.    

They shout for joy, they also sing; flags of allied nations, Austin Cooper, 1944

This was another real morale booster from London Transport’s Second World War propaganda campaign. Born in 1890, Austin Cooper was a Canadian by birth but settled in London as a commercial artist in 1922. Working from his belief ‘that function of a poster was to secure a viewer’s attention then to deliver a message swiftly, convincingly, effectively’, Cooper produced some 50 posters for the Underground Group and LT.   

The Proud City, Walter E Spradbery, 1944

In 1944, Walter E Spradbery was commissioned by LT to design a series of posters depicting landmarks of London that had survived air raids, in particular during the Blitz in 1940-41. The result was the set of posters above. Spradbery wrote:

The sense that havoc itself is passing and with new days come new hopes.

This was a morale-boosting sentiment that the authorities were keen to convey to British troops, as well as LT passengers and staff, through this wartime poster campaign. 

This was a morale-boosting sentiment that the authorities were keen to convey to British troops, as well as LT passengers and staff, through this wartime poster campaign. 

The posters would be hung in prominent places in London, but they were also particularly aimed at promoting London’s stoicism to overseas audiences. Two of the posters were also produced in Farsi and one in Arabic, so reaching a greater number of people in the Middle East, including across parts of the former British Empire. These Spradbery posters were also distributed to the USA, conveying London and Britain’s survival to one of the country’s main allies. Each poster presented an image of proud and defiant architecture surrounded by destruction, together with a quotation from a well-known poet or historian.

Spradbery, born in East Dulwich in 1889, became a renowned designer, painter and poet. He produced over 60 posters and 18 panels for LT between 1912 and 1945, which are testament to his speciality in landscapes and nature. As a staunch pacifist, Spradbery served with the Royal Army Medical Corps during the First World War, and through watercolours he highlighted the many grim and distressing scenes of warfare that he witnessed. He was also an early member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). 

I shall explore other aspects of the UERL and LT wartime posters in upcoming blogs. In the meantime, how about a visit to our original poster artwork and posters collection at the Museum Depot in Acton? The Depot will be open from 21-24 April 2022 for Open Days dedicated to The Art of the Poster.