I’m finding it hard to get worked up about auctions at the moment. This might be because I’m getting jaded, but I think it’s more that there isn’t that much of interest coming through at the moment (and if anyone has any theories as to why this might be, please do let me know in the comments box below). Having said that, there are two auctions tomorrow (sorry!) that might be worth our attention.
The first is from Transport Auctions of London (not to be confused with London Transport Auctions who are entirely different and have an auction coming up next month). This contains a lot of things that are not posters, so if you are after cap badges or a rather splendidly named category called ‘relics’ you are on your own. Go and look, you might want something like this.
Or you might not. Whatever you decide, there are also a small handful of posters.
TYV, 1938, est. £50-75
The main theme of today seems to be posters that I own already. The bull above comes under that heading as does this rather untypical Eckersley-Lombers.
Eckersley/Lombers, 1936, est £75-100
Unusually, most of the other posters I like are also pre-war, such as this appropriately seasonal offering.
Major, 1931, est. £120-170
The design of this poster is less striking, but I am intrigued by the premise. Why don’t we have real cows in the ticket halls of stations now?
Anonymous, 1935, est. £60-80
Meanwhile at GW Railwayana there are also posters. Rather greedily, we have two copies of this one, so we won’t be competing if any of you are after it, which you should be.
There are also American posters, and also a lot of pastel-tinted scenic views which I am mostly going to ignore.
This seaside poster, however, is great, although I know nothing about Armengol whatsoever. However a brief google convinces me that he is very interesting indeed, so we’ll return to him another day.
Mario Armengol, 1952.
No estimates, sadly, because that’s how railwayana works, so your guess is as good as mine, and quite probably better. This one usually goes quite cheap though, can’t think why.
Frank Newbould, 1950
Of the views, this is probably the boldest and most striking.
D. Irwin Brown, 1932.
Although there are a couple of Lander maps which might put up a good fight too.
Even on something as workaday as a map, he never fails to use brilliant contrast. Kent is on offer too if you happen to live there.
Beyond that it all gets a bit patchy. There are a set of modern (ish) posters expressing British Rail through the medium of station roofs, which I admire rather than actually like. This one’s Newcastle.
Brendan Neiland, 1991
If it’s modernity you’re after, I think this is doing a much better job.
Kenneth Leech, 1960
That’s a BR Class 28 locomotive on a freight train, for those of you who care about these things. I can’t quite manage to. I think he’s the same Leech who designed this very different poster only a few years before and which is also in the auction.
I have written about the numbers of people on a beach before, but I’ve got more to add to that one of these days. For now we’ll just note that, travelling by train, you are unlikely ever to arrive at such an empty beach. Unless it’s actually February.
There are also, as seems to be customary in railwayana auctions these days, a smattering of wartime propaganda posters. This one is the most interesting, a statement which tells you everything you need to know about the rest.
Some of the best design on offer in fact comes in the form of carriage prints rather than posters. This is battered but glorious, not just for its design but also the evocation of an entirely disappeared world of railway hotels. I was going to say elegant railway hotels, but I’m not certain that the Royal at Grimsby Docks would qualify.
The catalogue only tells me that it’s rare, so if anyone can add any more to that, please do.
This Bromfield is a version of a poster, but none the less pleasing for that.
It’s probably easier to find space for on a wall too. Hmm, best I don’t think about that too hard…
I wonder if in the past we would have had to travel to get to auctions and now we see them on the Net, it makes for a ‘demand’ curve. I’ve certainly see it happen elsewhere – ebay and Abebooks. Having watched for very specific artists since 1995 (yes that long!) I’m glad I scooped up as much as I could as now the sources are drying up. The law of diminishing returns – you have to put more effort in to get less out! And prices, when things appear, are not necessarily as high as they were.
I guess that over time sources go to ground (collectors get older; children don’t know a thing’s worth) and we therefore see less.
What were your thoughts?
The ‘quicker way to comfort’ carriage panel poster is interesting as I’ve a 1948 British Railways booklet that uses the same artwork – obviously carrying on with the LNER work! I’ll dig the booklet out and see if it has any further clues as to artist or origin.
I really don’t know what’s going on. I’m sure that it’s something like what you describe, with a good dash of changing taste to boot. But if the sources are drying up, then why are prices falling? Does anyone know?
And yes, I’d love to see that booklet if it has any more clues!