Place | Europe: United Kingdom |
---|---|
Accession Number | ARTV00249 |
Collection type | Art |
Measurement | Overall: 81.8 x 56.6 cm |
Object type | Poster |
Physical description | offset lithograph on paper |
Maker |
Kennington, Eric Henri London Passenger Transport Board The Baynard Press |
Date made | 1944 |
Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
Copyright |
Item copyright: Unlicensed copyright |
Seeing it Through - How proud upon your Quarterdeck you stand...
British Second World War poster features a female bus conductor at work. Beneath the image is 3 stanzas of poetry by A.P Herbert. This is one of a series of 6 posters commissioned by London Transport which combines portraits by Eric Henri Kennington (b.12 march 1888 d. 13 April 1960. British artist and sculptor and an official war artist during both wars) with poetry by Sir Alan Patrick Herbert (A.P. Herbert English Humorist, novelist, playwright and law reform activist). Each poster features a portrait of a member of the London Transport workforce and alludes to the heroicised notion that by doing their daily work, these people in their commonplace occupations are 'seeing it through' that is, helping the war effort.
Kennington also created many pastel portraits and lithographs. His Second World War portraits are distinctive for their use of intense colours. During the Second World War Kennington was personally commissioned to do work for the Ministry of Information by Edwin Embleton. Darracott and Loftus describe how in both wars "his drawings and letters show him to be an admirer of the heroism of ordinary men and women", an admiration which is particularly notable in the poster series "Seeing it Through".