Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled an exhibition showcasing the best of its advertising history with a display illustrating the network’s collection of pre-digital posters.
Held at its Covent Garden museum, the London Underground hosted a launch party debuting its Global Poster Gallery, which featured art commissioned by London transport bosses dating back more than a century.
Starting from the early 1900s, these posters have been used to sell products and convey information – displayed either on the streets, stations, bus stops, vehicles and in public spaces.
From early political adverts to brand comissioned billboards, the gallery offers visitors an opportunity to see TfL’s extensive range of out-of-home work (OOH) – with an initial 1000 original posters on display and a further 30,000 more tucked away in archives.
Visitors can explore how and why a poster gets commissioned, as well as their artists and the techniques used to produce them. The exhibition offers insight, reflection and encourages the public to compare today’s posters with those from the past.
‘Soaring to Success’
One of London Underground’s first political adverts is displayed to visitors upon first entry to the exhibition – marking a stark change to today’s political advertising rules.
Titled ‘Soaring to Success’, the 1919 work was designed by Edward McKnight Kauffer as a poster for the Labour Party newspaper, the Daily Herald.
Known as one of the twentieth century’s most influential poster designers, this piece – given by Ogilvy Benson & Mather Ltd – was one of the earlier designs that made his name.
Based on an earlier woodcut print and influenced by vorticism, the poster used a modernist art style in a way that was accessible to a mass audience.
‘Vigil the pure silk’
Another piece by Kauffer displayed on the network’s estate in 1919 was an early commissioned advert for a brand.
‘Vigil the Pure Silk’ features the geometric composition and cubism style we are now so familiar with in the London Underground’s long history of posters and interior designs.
Not actually portraying the brand’s product – silk – a later edition of the poster instead includes the brand’s address at the bottom, in black, block lettering. Not unlike modern adverts.
Commissioned by Shell
If you haven’t already noticed the dominance of Kauffer’s work on this early portion of the TfL’s poster history and, in turn, this exhibition – this next piece might come as a shock.
This next poster represents an early brand collaboration with fossil fuel titan Shell, a firm that the artist produced more than 180 artworks for. Just like TfL, Shell often focuses on the destination of its products, or its services.
Dinton Castle is just one example of many such artworks, portraying a surrealist impression of the landscape with text that reassures viewers that ‘You Can Be Sure of Shell.’
In an era where TfL’s is becoming stricter about the ads displayed on its network, and the Green Party is calling for the ban of ‘high carbon advertising’, the artwork also raises questions about whether such ads would still be permitted today.
Post Office Calls to Action
Another example emulates other great British networks, such as several early Post Office posters. One festive 1958 piece by Hans Urger imagines the iconic red post-box as a candle with a call to action, urging Londoners to ‘Post early’. Another 1949 GPO commissioned piece by Tom Eckersley advertises the Post Office’s new guide; ‘one sale for one shilling’
Heathrow
Some advertisements have a timeless quality, and this early campaign promoting the TfL’s service to Heathrow Airport is a perfect example. Benoit Jacques 1987’s ‘Fly the Tube to Heathrow’ (left) and Peter Hobden’s same name 1978’s artwork (middle) bear striking resemblance to modern pieces.
Power of poetry
Enid Marx’s 1957 ‘The Zoo-Noah’s Ark’ poster promoting London Zoo, also bears resemblance to some modern campaigns – using the power of poetry, it is reminiscent of the TfL’s ongoing ‘Poems on the Underground‘ series.
Making a series of comebacks over the years, this series has continuously been revived, such as for TfL’s 2013 campaign ‘For Poetiquette On The Tube’ or its more recent collection celebrating London’s diverse history and voices.
