When exploring the posters in London Transport Museum’s breath-taking collection, one can sometimes be forgiven for thinking these posters are really only concerned with promoting the Underground. Whilst posters were initially commissioned by the Underground Electric Railways of London (UERL) in 1908, posters were also produced to advertise other modes of transport. The London General Omnibus Company (LGOC), the largest bus operator in London at the time, became part of the Underground Group in 1913. Likewise, London tram operators also published posters, and by 1933 these were integrated within the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board, better known as London Transport (LT).
Numerous bus and tram posters were published. In a previous blog I focused on the promotion of buses and trams pre-1945. In this blog I have focused on buses and river transport in the years after the Second World War.
Enjoy your London; no. 4 the river, by Betty Swanwick, 1949
Betty Swanwick was a painter, illustrator, designer and muralist who produced a number of commissions for London Transport. She also wrote novels for which she produced the illustrations. Swanwick’s poster depicting the Woolwich Free Ferry was paired with her poster Enjoy your London No. 4 The River, one of a series of eight paired posters published in 1948-49 to promote leisure travel particularly in the wake of the Second World War. It was quite a common feature to see paired posters, which allowed greater freedom for the artist and copywriter alike. These pairs would be hung either side of Underground station entrances and exits or either side of benches; illustration on one side, accompanying text on the other.
There is undoubtedly a lot going on in these posters. The text makes the prospect of a family outing to one of the numerous sites on the River Thames seem to be very appealing, and considerable information on bus travel to these sites is given on the other poster of the pair. The Woolwich Free Ferry is well promoted in the poster and all together it’s all very busy on the Thames whether it is work or relaxation.
Swanwick’s quirky style was not to everyone’s taste but it appealed greatly to Harold Hutchison, LT’s Publicity Officer from 1947 to 1966, who oversaw poster commissioning in this period. Between 1936 and 1954, Swanwick would produce eleven posters for London Transport.
Out and about; winter London, by Molly Moss, 1950
This is another example of paired posters, designed by Molly Moss in 1950. This was the sole commission she produced for London Transport but it really is worthy of being picked out for its message and the use of vibrant colours reminiscent of many of the posters from the 1920s.
We see a chilly but busy night scene in London’s West End depicted in this work, and an energy and excitement exuded by two central groups: buses encircling the statue of Anteros (widely, but mistakenly, known as Eros); and warmly wrapped pedestrians. Linking these groups are processions of commercial vehicles with a ‘fringe’ of famous buildings and Regent Street. Taxis are depicted but it is the buses that are central to the accompanying text’s message of getting into London’s West End to enjoy all that is there. The text is ‘deliciously’ enticing at, again, a time when the country was still recovering from being at war. Those buses look so friendly! And among the STL type buses on show is at least one each of the recently introduced AEC RT and Leyland RTL types. I love this poster and the sheer energy depicted by the artist, even in the depths of winter. No LED lighting here!
Twenty miles sightseeing bus tour, by Pat Keely, 1962
Pat Keely was a prolific artist who produced a number of designs for London Transport between 1933 and 1962. Additionally, he received many commissions from the Ministry of Information during the Second World War and the General Post Office (GPO). Most of his LT posters featured either staggered working hours or public safety. This poster was produced to promote the 20-mile bus tour between London’s West End and the City. The original artwork is in watercolour and depicts three of the sites on the tour, namely Nelson’s Column, Millbank Tower, also known as Vickers Tower, and the Tower of London.
Keely’s design is a marked departure from the more ‘traditional’ LT poster designs and seems to herald the dawning of the 1960s. The famous Millbank Tower, built for Vickers and opened in 1963, is a true symbol of post-war architecture, being the tallest building in the UK for some years. Compare the artist’s intentions to those of Molly Moss above through this mighty building together with the backdrop of the great swirls of cloud. Coupled with the depiction of Nelson’s Column and the Tower of London, visitors should feel the need to take the advertised sight-seeing tour to experience the historic and envisaged future power of the UK’s Capital. And at four bob a person (20p), that has to be good value!
Parties, by Alan Fletcher, 1993
This poster is one of two direct commissions from London Transport to Alan Fletcher, the other being Shopping (1993). A prestigious graphic artist in the early 1990s, Fletcher co-founded Fletcher/Forbes/Gill in 1962, which became the Pentagram design agency.
Parties presents a series of caricatures that provokes thoughts of those around us that we know as friends, colleagues and acquaintances. How simply these characters are defined through a ‘catalogue’ of mouths in predominantly LT red. I suggest that it epitomizes the basic function of graphic art. With little explanation, the poster starkly jump out at the viewer, each with a subliminal message pandering to some of our basic instincts and offering the means to gain fulfilment through the use of London’s buses.
We look forward to you joining us for a tour around our Art and poster store at the Museum Depot in Acton in the not-so-distant future, when we can further explore the rich development of graphic art. Keep an eye open on our website for news.
