Graphis 66 – Fortnum & Mason

This is an extract from the celebrated Swiss graphic arts magazine Graphis – issue 66, published in 1956. Charles Rosner tells the story of how the Piccadilly shop, Fortnum & Mason publicised its activities with a well chosen selection of distinguished graphic artists and illustrators. Rosner writes about how the store was adapting to the decline in its traditional markets brought about by the fading fortunes of the landed gentry and the loss of Britain’s Imperial possessions, using direct mail and elegantly designed publicity to broaden its appeal. After almost a decade of food rationing had recently come to an end, conspicuous consumption had to be made socially acceptable again. The era of post-war egalitarianism was coming to an end, disposable incomes were rising and there was no shame in lavish spending on luxury goods. It’s interesting that Edward Bawden became the first choice of illustrator. His inventive, humorous and gentle fantasies effortlessly create a sense of goodwill, relaxing the reader and making them feel good about treating themselves to the best that money can buy. Bawden was without equal in his ability to bring renewed vitality to the most mundane of objects and delight the eye with spritely forms, wonderfully defined in pattern and line. Today’s store still exists to serve a rich and exclusive clientele with food, drink and homeware at astronomic prices. In the present economic climate the shop should be busier than ever. As wealth continues to be siphoned upwards into the hands of the super-rich at an ever increasing rate, the ever expanding supply of high net worth individuals should be enough to keep the store busy for the foreseeable future. Follow this link to see a superb example of Bawden’s Fortnum & Mason work at the Alphabet of Illustrators.

To the Zoo – with Edward Bawden and Clifford Webb

The map drawn by Edward Bawden appeared in a guide to London Zoo published in the 1930s. Bawden succeeded in reducing the complex layout to a clear and simple diagram and decorated it with a characteristic flamingo drawing. Two other vignettes from the guide are below. Underneath them are some lively colour illustrations on the same subject from another much admired illustrator, Clifford Webb, better known for his work in woodcut.

Edward Bawden

A tiny selection from the compendious output of Edward Bawden – a superbly versatile English illustrator with the lightest of touches. Curiously weightless but never superficial, Bawden’s drawings revealed his delight in the visual world and his immense skill in reducing scenes of great complexity into just a few well chosen lines. A delicate hint of gentle malice and a quality of linear bite were just enough to immunise him from the fatal English affliction of whimsy. For my money he is, by some distance, the greatest of a very talented generation that includes Barnett Freedman, Eric Fraser, Harold Jones, Clifford Webb, Gwen Raverat, Clarke Hutton, Clare Leighton, John Farleigh and John Nash.

Broadcasting House

When Edward Bawden was invited to design a cover for the BBC Yearbook he populated Portland Place with an orchestra of winged musicians gently descending from the airwaves above bringing joy and enlightenment to the masses gathered below, neatly encapsulating the mission of the BBC as it existed in 1947. Bawden’s slender pen line reduced the monolithic presence of Broadcasting House to a skeletal vestige. The postcard supplies a more substantial vision of the BBC’s great flagship towering over Upper Regent Street complete with Eric Gill sculptures. The building was completed in 1932, only 10 years after the first regular broadcasts and expressed the massive sense of self-confidence typical of the early years of radio. George Val Myer was the architect and brought considerable experience of designing for business and commerce to the project. The Radio Times cover is from 1982 and celebrates 60 years of radio by wittily transforming Broadcasting House into a facsimile of a pre-war Bakelite receiver on the left and a contemporary mixing deck on the right, subtly airbrushed by an unidentified artist.

Is this the work of Edward Bawden?

I’m a great admirer of the art of Edward Bawden and over the years a few items of Bawden ephemera have come my way. This example is not present in the only list I have access to (Edward Bawden by Douglas Percy Bliss). I can’t see the EB signature anywhere. It has a soft card cover with a shiny laminate finish characteristic of the late 50’s or early 60’s. If it is not by Bawden, it’s a brilliant pastiche. So, can anyone help? Is there a more comprehensive list of Bawden ephemera than the Bliss?

2021 update: Perhaps this answers the question.