Born and based in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Kenneth Steel (1906-1970) was a watercolourist, lithographer and engraver of landscapes and urban scenes. In this post we’re honing in on some of his numerous travel posters – for the likes of British Railways and British European Airways (BEA).
At 12-years-old, Steel won a scholarship to attend the Sheffield Technical School of Art. He went on to become the youngest artist to be elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1936.
In December 1940, both Steel’s mother and his pregnant wife were tragically killed in the Sheffield Blitz; the bombing also destroying much of his studio work.
His work can be found in the collections of National Railway Museum, Fife Collections Centre and Newport Museum and Art Gallery. Originals turn up at auction – from Christie’s and Bonhams to eBay – and can fetch into the high hundreds of pounds.
In 2020, a book was published, Kenneth Steel: Catalogue Raisonné of Prints and Railway Posters. The author, Edward Yardley, has co-curated an exhibition of over 100 of his works – Places in Time: The Art of Kenneth Steel – with accompanying talk and tours. It’s currently being held at Harold Cantor Gallery, Weston Park Museum, Sheffield runs until 2nd May 2022.
This week, we’re shining a spotlight on a specialist auction of original vintage posters.
The AntikBar sale is on Saturday 4 September, starting at 2pm. Up for auction are 463 original vintage posters from across the globe including examples from the travel, advertising, sport, war, propaganda and film genres.
We’ve selected half a dozen lots to showcase below.
Lot 64: Advertising Poster Switzerland Swiss Fair Delapraz Lausanne
Original vintage advertising poster for the 36th National Fair Comptoir Suisse in Lausanne, Switzerland held 10 – 25 September 1955 with artwork by Delapraz. The Comptoir Suisse / Swiss Counter is a popular annual fair where individual traders, local producers and larger companies showcase cultural and culinary Swiss traditions. Following the Great Depression the fair became a way to strengthen the domestic market. The image shows Mercury – the Roman god of trade – drawn in red with a yellow cape, riding a pink horse with a blue saddle on a black background with white and yellow text across the bottom of the poster. Printed by Roth and Sauter S.A Lausanne. Good condition, repaired tears, creasing. Country of issue: Switzerland, designer: Delapraz, size (cm): 100×65, year of printing: 1955
Lot 106: Advertising Poster London Transport Underground Green Rover Countryside Bus Bartelt
Original vintage advertising poster issued by London Transport, promoting the Green Rover ticket. Green Thought…Green Rover. The image by Edward Robert Bartelt (1935-2009) shows a double decker bus constructed out of trees and hedges, with the red London Underground logo for wheels – through the window, smiling passengers in colourful outfits are visible and the bus is surrounded by wildlife including boxing hares and birds, all underneath a yellow sun. Underneath the image, purple text informs the reader that Green Rover tickets can be used on 200 country bus routes in London’s countryside, and are valid for a day, alongside details of when and where to purchase tickets. Printed by Leonard Ripley & Co, London. Good condition, creasing, staining, backed on linen. Country of issue: UK, designer: Edward Robert Bartelt, size (cm): 101×63, year of printing: 1961
Lot 145: Advertising Poster Crazy Horse Saloon Pop Art Cabaret Paris France
Original vintage advertising poster for Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris – France featuring a colourful pop art illustration of lady silhouettes with diagonal stripes and stylised yellow lettering set over blue background. Le Crazy Horse Saloon or Le Crazy Horse de Paris is a Parisian cabaret known for its stage shows performed by nude female dancers and for the diverse range of magic and variety ‘turns’ between each nude show and the next. Its owners helped to create related cabaret and burlesque shows in other cities. Good condition, creasing, minor tears, tape on reverse. Country of issue: France, designer: Strack, size (cm): 88×52, year of printing: 1970s
Lot 157: Advertising Poster Bernard Buffet Art Exhibition Maurice Garnier Japan
Original vintage advertising poster for an exhibition of work by Bernard Buffet at the Galerie Maurice Garnier, titled Le Japon / Japan. The featured image shows two figures in traditional Japanese dress looking towards the viewer, on a light blue scribbled background. Text is in a black stylised font and includes the date and location of the exhibition. Bernard Buffet (1928-1999) was a French expressionist artist who won multiple awards for his portraits, landscapes and still-lifes. Good condition, tape marks, folds, creasing. Country of issue: France, designer: Bernard Buffet, size (cm): 71×51, year of printing: 1981
Lot 176: Advertising Poster Camel Pop Art French Paper Mill
Original vintage advertising poster for Pop-Tone by French Paper, featuring a colourful pop art illustration of a yellow and green one-humped camel with holding reins in its mouth and a black and yellow seat on its back set over light purple background, with informative text below the image advertising 24 colours of a new paper line that is inspired by pop art, pop music, pop rocks turning design into eye candy. French Paper Company is a family-owned business located in Niles, Michigan, the mill has been established more than 140 years ago. Excellent condition. Country of issue: USA, designer: Charles S. Anderson, size (cm): 61×48, year of printing: 2000s
Lot 298: Propaganda Poster Bill Jones Tongue Temper Thought Workplace Motivation Parker Holladay
Original vintage propaganda poster – Three T’s that need holding! Tongue, Temper, Thought – “dont let them get away from You” Bill Jones. – Corporate motivational poster featuring people clinging onto the blue, grey, and green capes of three figures, set over yellow background. International Copyright 1928 USA. Parker Holladay Co. (Eng.) Ltd. Drayton House, London. W.C. 1. Printed in England. Very good condition, minor creasing, minor browning on margins. Country of issue: UK, designer: Unknown, size (cm): 71×56, year of printing: 1928
We’ve been sourcing vintage metal and enamel advertising signs over recent months. They’re the kind of vintage item that works well in our old cottage. In previous homes, we’ve incorporated mid century modern, op art and the more ‘groovy’ 1960s items. However, they just don’t ‘sit well’ here, but we do love the interest and aged character that vintage items bring… so these signs are one way in which we’re doing it.
We bought this Soako soap powder sign with our bathroom area in mind. It dates from the 1920s era and was designed by Tom Purvis. He’s famous for those classic railway destination posters of the day. Come to think of it, we’ll have to feature him in one of our weekend Designer Desire posts to showcase more of his work.
It has lots of bumps and scratches, but we don’t mind that… it’s 100 years old! The design is still clear and colours are bright. Soako does the work, eh? It will need to, judging by the filthy state that Justin gets in doing up this place!
A few weeks ago, we featured Harry Stevens, a designer who used scantily-clad ladies in his poster creations. Walter Hofmann also used swim-suited lovelies in his work; in fact, he specialised in the subject!
Hofmann (1906–1973), was an Austrian designer about whom we couldn’t find much information. He was commissioned by Nivea, Ulka, Matzner and Kajak Badedress (a Danish swimsuit manufacturer, we think).
His style and palette are so evocative of the mid-century modern era. It’s very reminiscent of another favourite design team of ours, Lefor Openo.
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credit: Sheffield Weekly Gazette
