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The Immeasurable Wilds: Travellers to the Far North of Scotland

Travel Posters: Quality Artwork by Royal Academicians

This page has presented itself after I bought a book titled "Posters by Royal Academicians and Other Eminent Artists." Said to have been published in 1926, it is, I believe, quite a scarce little volume. It appears that, in 1923, the appointment of T.C. Jeffry as Superintendent of LMS (London, Midland and Scottish) Advertising and Publicity led to, amongst other things, the commissioning by Norman Wilkinson of three railway poster designs. This led to other commissions, some of which are celebrated in this book. The cover shows one by Wilkinson, though there is no indication as to what the view painted actually depicts.

In addition to Norman Wilkinson, artists of the quality of David Murray and David Cameron were later commissioned, and the LMS publication holds 16 images of fine quality artwork. Only six, including the cover (Ben Nevis?), are of specifically Scottish scenes. One or two show work being carried out, and others have English, Welsh and Irish views, but I have included them all on this page, a feast of artwork from the 1920s.

The Scottish images first:

Edinburgh, by George Henry, R.A.

Grangemouth Docks, by Norman Wilkinson

The Scottish Highlands, by Sir D.Y. Cameron, R.A.

Galloway, the Southern Highlands of Scotland, by Norman Wilkinson

Aberdeen: Brig O'Balgownie, by Algernon Talmage, A.R.A.

Next, the depictions of labour:

British Industries, Cotton, by Cayley Robinson, A.R.A.

The Permanent Way, Relaying, by Stanhope Forbes, R.A.                                                       The Night Mail, the Engineman, by Sir William Orpen, R.A.

British Industries, Steel, by Richard Jack, R.A.                                                                           British Industries, Coal, by G. Clausen, R.A.

Finally, England, Wales and Ireland:

The Peak District, Peveril Castle, by L. Campbell Taylor, A.R.A.                                              Nottingham Castle, the Centre of Medieval England, by Arnesby Brown, R.A.

Carlisle, the Gateway to Scotland, by Maurice Greiffenhagen, R.A.

Warwick Castle, by Adrian Stokes, R.A.

Conway, one of the Welsh Feudal Castles, by Sir David Murray, R.A.

To Ireland. Seven L.M.S. Routes, by Norman Wilkinson                                                           Northern Ireland, Dunluce Castle, by Julius Olsson, R.A.

To finish, something we all look for in our railways, even if we don't always get it, Speed:

Speed, by Sir Bertram Mackennal, R.A.

The tradition of using artists on railway posters continued. This painting of Ben Loyal, by William Douglas Macleod, was commissioned by British Rail Scottish Region in 1966. Mind you, the nearest station to Ben Loyal, at Lairg, is some 40 miles away!

Loch Maree, by Douglas MacLeod. A poster published in 1956.

The Torridon Hills, by Douglas MacLeod. 1956.

Moving further south, Fort Augustus , Inverness-shire by Henry Rushbury. 1947.

Inverlochy Castle, by Leonard Squirrell. A poster issued in 1947.

And one last image, again from the 60s, said to be 1963. A BOAC advert showing Eilean Donan Castle, one of Scotland's iconic scenic views. All very 1960s!