Here’s something for all you Miroslav Sasek fans out there – there won’t be many of these left in circulation.
It’s a vintage book of matches with cover design by the famous illustrator – unused and in pristine condition – what a rare survivor!!
Sasek depicts 1950s/60s London traffic in his unmistakable style…
… and it’s a very long match book – 32cm, so plenty of room for Sasek’s wonderful drawings.
They were manufactured in Finland for Liberty of London – just gorgeous!!
We have a real gem for this week’s Bookmarks post – London Underground Maps – Art, Design & Cartography by Claire Dobbin.
It’s hardly possible to imagine London without its underground system – and equally impossible to imagine this underground system without the classic map which guides its millions of users.
This book takes you on its own journey – from 19th century origins to the 21st century future.
Chapter 1 covers the early history and mapping of the London Underground. The first line was opened in 1863 – it was actually steam trains that ran along these early tracks which came as a surprise to us – electric trains being introduced much later, in 1890. Another quick snippet of trivia is that the now ubiquitous term ‘tube’ for the whole of the underground system comes from an early nickname for the Central London Railway which was known as the Two Penny Tube.
The early maps aren’t to be overlooked. There’s some stunning work by artists such as MacDonald ‘Max’ Gill and it also has to be remembered that Harry Beck didn’t start with a blank canvas before producing his famous 1930s design. He took ideas & influences from this earlier mapping such as line diagrams and distinct colours for individual lines.
However, there’s no denying the importance and brilliance of the map originally devised by Beck in 1931 and first published 1933 (there’s a story there too, as it was rejected on its first submission). Chapter 2 charts the map’s development – its geometric design and the abandonment of geographical accuracy.
The various versions of Beck’s map are very interesting – its continuous evolution being essential as new stations were built or design tweeks put into practice.
In addition to reproducing the maps, the book also has some great examples of promotional posters and historical photos showing stations, travellers and artwork in situ.
Chapter 3 explores the continuing legacy of Beck’s design and its influence over other transport maps. Also its branding, souvenir value and wider influence over the art world in general.
We’ve thoroughly enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it.
It adds so much background to the subject without ever being dry or unapproachable.
…and if you’re one of those people who has to hop on & off the tube regularly, this book will really help you see the places with fresh eyes.
The book’s launch ties in with the Mind the Map exhibition that opened last week at the London Transport Museum – the author, Louise Dobbin is Senior Curator there. The exhibition, with accompanying events programme, runs until 28 October 2012.
As well as Lund Humphries, the book is available from Hive and our UK & US Amazon stores.
[Many thanks to Lund Humphries for the review copy]
M & S continues to produce some fantastic packaging. We bought a few items last week – and thought we’d share photos with you in case you haven’t seen any of it.
We’ll start with this pizza box for the pastrami pizza – with its New York cop and stetson-wearing tourist.
The characters are very reminiscent of Miroslav Sasek book illustrations from the 1950s & 60s.
The other products we picked up have much more of a British feel – perfect for this Diamond Jubilee & London Olympic year.
These chocolate teacakes are covered with Union Jack bunting & flags. What does that pigeon know that we don’t?
Next up we have the old red telephone box.
It’s harking back to the days when telephone box queues were a common sight – pre mobile phone days – the variety of characters each waiting their turn.
We just love the punk rocker blowing his bubblegum.
It’s a close run thing, but our favourite item of the batch is probably the biscuit tin below. Again, the artwork is very Sasek inspired – with a bit of Bill Charmatz thrown in.
The design a real classic with scenes of the British Isles to the sides and traditional London sights to the lid.
Also, the tin will last years and can be used over & over again.
It’s fantastic when you buy a useful & beautiful storage tin – crammed full of lovely biscuits that you just have to eat first!!
I’ve seen a few different reviews printed recently of Dennis Morris’ Growing Up Black – A Chronicle of Black Britain in the 60s and 70s. The accompanying images really capture an era in London in which my parents & I must have been a part before we emigrated to Trinidad in 1973. His images portray the everyday in the lives of the African Caribbean community in London – the political, the religious, the social and the domestic.
I was also unaware until now that Morris was the creator of many of the iconic images we know and love of Bob Marley, the Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited.
His images remind me of those of the talented Daniel Meadows, whose early work we recently went to at the National Media Museum in Bradford – portraits of urban communities, families, friends and individuals.
The book’s been published this month as a limited edition of just 500 copies – the introductory price is £250, which includes a silver gelatin 10 x 12” print signed by Morris. Thereafter the price rises to £300 + P&P.
We’ve not made a trip down to London in YEARS! It’s not that far for us to travel – only about five hours away, but Fudge isn’t good at spending time in kennels.
There are two art exhibitions on at the moment in the capital that we’d really love to see – completely different work, but equally exciting. They are the Yayoi Kasama at Tate Modern and Lucian Freud at the National Portrait Gallery.
They both run until early summer, so hopefully we’ll manage to fit in a visit! Have you been to see either? Are there any others you’d recommend? Let us know!
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