Auctions, var

The Great Northern Railwayana auction is back with us again next weekend, once again in my old stomping ground of Poynton.  Sadly, the posters aren’t quite as exciting as they were last time, but there are still a few that catch my attention, like some classically styled seaside posters.

I like both the woman fighting the dog and the oh, by the way we’ve got a ruin down in the corner.  So full marks for that.

This one gets points because we go to Weymouth (although the beach is never as curiously empty around us) which does also allow me to say that the bay actually looks nothing like that really.  But it also wins because it’s once again proving my argument that railway posters for seaside holidays are predominantly aimed at women.  I mean, look at he: she’s got to go and have a swim all by herself while he looks after the toddler.  And in fact she’s been away for so long that he’s turned the colour of a sideboard.  The colours make my eyes hurt generally with that one, they’ve been turned up too high.

Shall we look at something more restful instead?

I sort of like it, but to be honest there isn’t a whole heap of stuff that tickles my fancy this time around.

I can also offer you this though.

Admittedly, it’s not the most ground breaking image in the world, but it is by Hugh Casson, which has to count for something.  Architectural detail, probably.

And that is about your lot.  There are some Terence Cuneos on offer as well. but I’ve run out of ways to express my lack of interest in engineering detail.  I’m sure they will go to good homes.

Meanwhile, Van Sabben have an auction the week after, and boy have they been busy.  But on my first trawl through the 962 posters on offer (yes you did read that right) I couldn’t see a single British item.  My second go did turn up one or two, but even then, they are not that exciting.  I think my personal favourite is this.

William Henry, 1949, est. €220-450

In the end, that is what you want from an airline, isn’t it.

Running  it a close second is this, mainly because I can hear the words being read in those tight clipped tones from the newsreels.

Anonymous, Crawfords, est. €70-150

I would quibble with them about the date though, as I don’t think many manufacturers were printing posters in 1940, and the clothes and hair also look earlier.  But I am prepared to be wrong on that.

Lastly, this poster for P&O is out of my usual sphere being both early and for cruising, but it is rather good.

Michael Horan, 1930, est. €1,500-3,000

I’ve never seen it before, but a cursory search reveals that Horan also did this in 1936, which I now need very badly.

Apart from these, we are mostly looking at the usual suspects, of which this Lewitt Him is just one example.

Lewitt Him, 1950, est €150-300

More interesting, and also by Lewitt Him, is this poster for Israel.

Lewitt-Him, 1950, est. €80-160

Which sits alongside this Abram Games on similar lines.

Abram Games, 1950, est. €450-650

I’ve never seen either of these before, and they are both rather good.

To find these, I have of course had to wade through 950 or so other, foreign posters.  My compensation was a squirrel trying to sell me milk chocolate.

Karel Suyling, 1955, est. €80-160

As they do.