London Underground posters
top left: Power by Edward McKnight Kauffer; top right: Speed Underground by Alan Rogers
bottom left: Which? by Maurice Beck; bottom right: St Paul’s Cathedral by Robert Sargent Austin
A small sample of the many great posters commissioned by London Transport during the last century, part of the collection at the London Transport Museum. These are all from the 1930s. The design and iconography of London’s Underground system has occupied much of my attention this year due to a substantial book project; more about that later. Meanwhile, Jonathan Glancey was asking earlier this week whether the expansion of the Underground system means the end of Harry Beck’s classic and much-imitated map design.
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Battersea Power Station
• The Mentor
• The art of Cassandre, 1901–1968
3 comments or trackbacks
#1 posted by John V. Keogh
Nov 28th, 2009
That archer is similar to the art nouveau statue at East Finchley station. Wonder if the archer motif was used frequently at one time?
#2 posted by John
Nov 28th, 2009
Hi John. The poster is one of a series (another says “Safety”) so it may be coincidence. What is coincidence is the name of the archer sculptor, Eric Aumonier, who I saw mentioned recently in connection with the Powell & Pressburger film, A Matter of Life and Death. I think Aumonier designed the statues for the stairway to Heaven scene. And in another coincidence P&P worked under the name The Archers.
#3 posted by John V. Keogh
Dec 1st, 2009
Wow. I knew about the last coincidence: The Archers, but not the links to The Archer. Thanks!
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