Ebay can still, sometimes, come up with the goods. Like this.
For once it is possible to judge something by its cover, and so this is indeed a wall frieze by John Burningham, from 1966. Mr Crownfolio watched the auction like a hawk for the ten days it was on, and was pleasantly surprised to get it for not that much money at all.
What’s more surprising is that inside, the whole thing is intact.
Even though I can’t really photograph it in a way that shows you that. At least not without turning the blog by 90 degrees. So here goes anyway.
It is the story of how the lion king and his family are tamed by a girl and a boy.
But I’m sure that much of the fun was in having it on your bedroom wall and making up stories to fit the pictures yourself.
What the whole thing looks like together can be seen on the front and back cover (furnishings by Heals, children’s clothes by Pollyanna).
It seems, from the brief amount of research I have done, that he did a number of these including Birdland, Storyland, Jungleland and Wonderland.
Jungleland and Wonderland were approved of by the Design Council, and I have the slides to prove it.
While this very comprehensive John Burningham blog also has pictures of Birdland, which I do like the look of a lot.
One is probably enough though. It being all in one long strip does raise some rather interesting framing problems. Well, either that or blutack it to the wall.
Lion Land was on our wall in a corridor to the bedroom, my brother was born the year it was published. It is a trip seeing it again!
Excellent, am glad to have brought it back for you! We haven’t put ours up, although perhaps we ought.
Hi! I came across your post when I was trying to find this beautiful poster! I know it has been some time since, but I was wondering if you still had it, and if so, might consider selling? I found one on eBay last year and forgot to bid, and haven’t seen one since?
Apologies – have been very busy! Talk to David Bownes at Twentieth Century posters, he might have a copy.