Art For The London 'Underground'

by Oliver Green

Brilliant color reproductions of over 200 posters by major British and American artists for the London subway. They promote "tube" travel and respectable cultural activities. Includes notes on the artists, among whom are Kauffer, Whistler, and Dupas. No index. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1990

Reviews

[Scott Benowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title tells you precisely what this book is: this book is comprised of reprints of posters which have advertised the London underground system. The posters which are reprinted in this book date from the first decade of the 20th century, and the book concludes with reprints of posters which had originally been printed during the 1980's.
The various agencies which have operated the London underground system since the 19th century have always hired teams of highly skilled graphic designers to create the posters which advertised the subway system in London.
For the past 150 years, the teams of graphic designers who have drawn the posters which advertise the subway system in London and the suburbs have drawn very interesting posters- the style seems to be not too simple and concurrently not too complex, with perfect attention to angles and use of colors- which is ideal for posters which are intended to advertise public transport. People who design posters which advertise public transit systems know that they're designing posters which most people who see them will only spend no more than a few seconds looking at them; most people usually only briefly glimpse at the posters which advertise public transit while they walk past the posters. However, if you do take the time to look closely at the posters which have been advertising the London underground for the past 120 years, you'll see that there has always been a lot of advanced craftsmanship involved in the process of designing these posters.
If you're interested in the history of graphic design, if you're interested in the history of urban public transportation systems, if you're interested in the history of advertising, or if you're interested in the history of London, you'll thoroughly enjoy this book.
And if you have enjoyed reading this book, Oliver Green has published a sequel to this book which is entitled "Underground Art II: London Transport Posters" (Laurence King Publishing, 2001).

[Artie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't read the text.