Hip Hip Hurray

I’ve got lots of things to say about all sorts of things, including the Goons, army life and Graphis, but no time to say them in.  So all of those thoughts will have to wait for a day or two.  Shall we throw our hats in the air instead?

James Mawtus Judd greetings telegram 1963 GPO

I’ve mentioned this greetings telegram before, and now we’ve got round to buying one. It’s by James Mawtus Judd, who is still as ungoogleable as he was last time I tried to look.

He did two other poster designs, at least that I can find.  They are both in the BPMA online archive,  both also dating from 1962, the same as the telegram.

James Mawtus Judd pack your parcels carefully poster gpo 1962

James Mawtus Judd GPO poster careful packing happy opening 1962

And that, my friends, is it.  After that – or indeed before it – nothing at all.  I imagine, given the date and the fact that he was clearly very good at design, that he then went off and worked in an advertising agency where he wasn’t allowed to sign things.  Or made television commercials instead, perhaps.  But if anyone knows differently I would love to hear the story.

  • Great illustrations!!.. One explanation of the lack of more references to the work of Mr Mawtus Judd could be that he simply gave up being an illustrator! As a freelance illustrator myself, the constant roller coaster of gaps between paid commissions can be quite a stress!
    Have you ever looked into how illustrators were commissioned during the ‘golden period’ and wether it was a highly paid occupation?

  • Quite possibly true!

    And no, I’ve not researched that nor found anything else written about it – pretty much the only way would be to speak to the people who were there, I suppose, as the contracts never mention the stress and the gap in between, do they. As a fellow freelancer myself (although mostly retired) I can share your pain.

  • Jim Mawtus is still in the land of the living, though there will not have been much commercial work since the 1980s. I’ll see if I can put together a brief profession biog together. And many thanks for the kind comments …

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