The British Railway network flourished between 1830 and 1870. By 1852 there were over 7000 miles of rail track in England and Scotland, and every significant centre could rely on rail communication.
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An early illustration showing the proliferation of advertising posters targeting rail passengers. |
Two early examples of railway posters:
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London and South Western Railway |
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1895 East Coast Route |
At home, major cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol were now interconnected.
Until the creation of the railway, the fastest speed known to man had been that of a galloping horse. Now, an express train could reach speeds of 80 miles an hour. Newspapers printed in London in the early hours could be loaded on a train to be sold that morning in the provinces.
This large series on railway poster deals mainly with what could be called the golden age of the railway poster, where the sun always shone and the British seaside was as glamorous as the Côte d’Azur. Many talented and famous artists like Frank Newbould, John Hassall and Terence Cuneo worked on these posters – here’s an example by Royal Academician Sir Frank Brangwyn RA RWS RBA:
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1924 Frank Brangwyn RA RWS RBA ( 1967-1956 ) Scotland East Coast Route LNER |
This is part 1 of a 9-part series on railway posters:
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Swanage London and South Western Railway |
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1890s Great Easter Railway Hotels |
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1900c Brighton Railway for Isle of Wight |
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1912 England's Latest Port Immingham Great Central Railway by Fortunino Matania |
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Alan Carr Linford ( b. 1926 ) Oxford British Railways c1950 |
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A. E. Martin Aberystwyth GWR |
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Albert George Petheridge ( 1882-1934 ) North Wales for Scenery L&NWR |
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A. Johnston Devon British Railways 1960 |
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Anna Katrina Zinkeisen ( 1901-1976 ) Harrogate LNER |
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Anna Katrina Zinkeisen London by LNER |
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Adrian Allinson ( 1890-1959 ) Cornwall GWR Southern Railway |
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Adrian Allinson Downland Rambles British Railways |
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Adrian Allinson Isle of Wight Southern Railway |
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Adrian Allinson Jersey Southern Railway GWR |
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Albert J. Martin A Cornish Ferry GWR |
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Albert J. Martin South Wales Docks |
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Alfred Lambart Port Sunlight LMS |
Alfred Lambart Roker and Seaburn British Railways |
Alfred Lambart Southport Liverpool Overhead Railway |
Alfred Lambart Tynemouth LNER |
Alfred Lambart Newquay GWR |
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Sir Herbert Alker Tripp CBE ( 1883-1954 ) Cornwall GWR |
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Sir Herbert Alker Tripp CBE Fresh Air for Health! Southern Railway |
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Sir Herbert Alker Tripp CBE Newquay. GWR |
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Sir Herbert Alker Tripp CBE Wales GWR |
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Sir Herbert Alker Tripp CBE Bournemouth British Railways |
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Allanson Hick ( 1898-1975 ) Cleethorpes British Railways |
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Allanson Hick Lincoln British Railways |
Andrew Johnson Brighton and Hove Southern Region |
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Andrew Johnson Cleethorpes LNER |
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Andrew Johnson Farm Collection and Delivery Services LNER |
Andrew Johnson Scarborough LNER |
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Andrew Johnson The Yorkshire Coast LNER |
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Anton Abraham van Anrooy ( 1870-1949 ) Delft LNER |
Anton Abraham van Anrooy Edinburgh LNER |
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Anton Abraham van Anrooy The Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash GWR |
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Arthur C. Michael Edinburgh LNER LMS |
Arthur C. Michael St Andrews LNER |
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Arthur C. Michael Whitley Bay LNER |
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Austin Cooper ( 1890-1964 ) The Trossachs LNER |
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Austin Cooper Royal Deeside LNER c1928 |
Bamburgh LNER |