The Amazing Tom Purvis’ Posters for Austin Reed’s UK 1920s
Tom Purvis and Austin Reed
The 1920s and 1930s were the golden age of the English Poster.
Poster art flourished in Britain, driven by enlightened companies such as the London Underground, Shell-Mex, LNER (London North Eastern Railway), and GWR (Great Western Railway.)
One of the most relevant stylistic trends was the use of broad masses of vivid colors and the elimination of detail.
Tom Purvis, an Englishman born in Bristol, became very popular after developing a bold, two-dimensional style using large blocks of vivid, flat color and eliminating detail. His collaborations with major clients like LNER and Austin Reed, the leading men’s clothier of the time, significantly contributed to shape the English Poster art of the era.
Tom Purvis
Austin Reeds of Fenchurch St.
Poster, 1926.
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“The Elegant Gentleman,” by Austin Reed.
From 1928 to 1933, Austin Reed’s advertisement showcased “The Elegant Gentleman,” hiring some of the finest contemporary graphic designers, starting with Tom Purvis.
Their advertising agency, Pritchard Wood, played a crucial role in promoting Austin Reed. They ran a campaign producing iconic posters and advertisements in leading British magazines such as The London Illustrated News and The Tatler.
The posters’ designs were very modern and sophisticated. Take the poster below, published one hundred years ago.
Tom Purvis
Austin Reeds of Fenchurch St.
Poster, 1926.
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Tom Purvis’ s Technique
We need to find out Purvis’s techniques. Did he use a stencil, other innovative methods, or a mix? We have only backstage pictures showing him working on large cardboard and big brushes, leaving us with a compelling question that begs further exploration.
The originals probably had small details, such as brush strokes or uncertainties in the line; the remaining details were probably then removed in the lithographic reproduction.
It’s worth noting that many English artists, particularly poster designers, employed similar techniques, which can be seen as a distinctive style of the era.
In poster design, we can mention famous British artists like Frederick Charles Herrick, Roy Meldrum, and Alfred Leete.
Tom Purvis
Austin Reeds of Fenchurch St.
Poster, 1925.
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The total removal of detail in L.N.E.R posters
Austin Reed’s artworks still show small details in limited areas, as visible in the featured opening image.
In other Purvis’ works, starting from L.N.E.R posters, all details were removed,. Below is an example. This poster belongs to “East Coast Joy,” featuring six subjects creating an impressive seamless seaside panorama.
We’re eagerly preparing to publish a dedicated story on Tom Purvis’s work for L.N.E.R.
Stay tuned for this exciting exploration.
Tom Purvis
East Cost Joys, Travel by L.N.E.R.
To the Drier Side of Britain.
N. 4 Sea Bathing
Poster, 1928.
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About Tom Purvis
Annie Harriet Fish Sefton (1890-1964) was a British cartoonist and illustrator. She is best known as “Fish,” her maiden name, and how she usually signed her works. For Vanity Fair magazine, from 1914 to 1927, she drew 182 striking cartoons and 36 covers. In England, from 1914 to 1919, she illustrated for “The Tatler,” a famous column, “The Letters of Eve.”
From 1919 to 1932, she drew for Abdulla eleven campaigns published in French on “La Vie Parisienne” and in English on “Punch,” “The Sketch,” and “The Sphere.”
Among her books, are High Society (1920), The Eve Book (1920), and Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (1922).
Browse all “Fish” Stories
Social Events in 1920s High Society. By Fish
A second compilation of pages from Vanity Fair and the book “High Society” on “Social Events in 1920s High Society,” illustrated by Anne Fish.
Any double-page plate focuses on a specific topic providing a unique, rich lens into American and international high society’s lifestyles of the 1910s and 1920s. Rigorously in black and white, these inimitable sketches are completed with entertaining captions.
Flirting, Engagement, Weddings & Divorce in 1920s High Society. By Fish
A first compilation of pages from Vanity Fair and the book “High Society” on Flirting, Engagement, Weddings & Divorce, illustrated by Anne Fish.
Any double-page plate focuses on a specific topic providing a unique, rich lens into American and international high society’s lifestyles of the 1910s and 1920s. Rigorously in black and white, these inimitable sketches are completed with entertaining captions.
American 1920s High Society’s lifestyles, as seen by Anne Fish
“High Society” published in December 1920 is a unique book celebrating the work of the star-illustrator Anne Fish. It’s a selection of drawings published on Vanity Fair US from 1914 to 1920. The book provides a unique, rich lens into American and international high society’s lifestyles.
