Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

Born in Bognor in Sussex and trained at St Martin’s School of Art and Regent Street Polytechnic, Ellis was a graphic artist and illustrator who is best known for the posters he produced for London Transport during the 1930s. He generally collaborated with his wife Rosemary – whom he married in 1931 – on their posters. The General Post Office, Shell, and The Empire Marketing Board were also clients for their posters. They signed their posters C&RE, their initials being in alphabetical order and they are readily recognisable by their ebullient use of colour and form.

Employed during the war as a camoufleur, along with so many other artists, Clifford was also an official war artist, serving with the Grenadier Guards. Rosemary, meanwhile, was an artist for the Recording Britain project.

Following the war they trained art teachers at Bath Academy of Art. They also designed a series of nearly one hundred book jackets for Collins New Naturalist series, published between 1945 and 1982.

Running an art college, Ellis did not want to train artists who then ended up as teachers because they could not find work as artists. Instead he sought to train them as art teachers which gave them an alternative if they failed to make it as artists. Bath was staffed with artists who are household names today. Upon the outbreak of war, William Scott returned to England from France and sought employment from Ellis, being given a part-time job. After serving in the Royal Engineers he returned to the staff in 1946.

Kenneth Armitage, (who ended the war as a Major having specialised in recognition of tanks, aircraft and other machines of war – which he regarded as fitting neatly with his interest in sculpture) took on teaching sculpture from 1946 – William Turnbull standing in for him whilst he taught for a few months. Early in the 1950s, Scott suggested Peter Lanyon, Bryan Wynter and Terry Frost be approached to teach and Ellis gave them part-time roles, two or three days per week, or six-week blocks of teaching. Amongst other household names feature Robyn Denny, Gillian Ayres, and Adrian Heath.

The influences of some of these artists may be seen in the abstract paintings, although a common thread – Ellis’s hand – ties the works together, some of Scott may perhaps be seen in the spotty works and Lanyon perhaps in the Collages. The Sailing Boats are interesting, as – turned on their side – they look very much like a Terry Frost ‘Walk Along A Quay’ yet the sketches make it quite clear which way round they were to be. Meanwhile the landscape works with clearly defined patchworks are strangely reminiscent of Adrian Heath’s works of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The Ice Age series of works are sketches for designs. The final very large oil painting for Number III – entitled Advance of an Ice Age – was sold to Derbyshire School Library Service and may be seen on the Art UK website by clicking here.

An article on Clifford Ellis by Dr Kitty Cole can be seen by clicking here.

  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985) Swallow

    16x25cm Watercolour and pencil Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Born in Bognor in Sussex and trained at St Martin’s School of Art and Regent Street Polytechnic, Ellis was a graphic artist and illustrator who is best known for the posters he produced for London Transport during the 1930s. He generally collaborated with his wife Rosemary – whom he married in 1931 – on their posters. The General Post Office, Shell, and The Empire Marketing Board were also clients for their posters. They signed their posters C&RE, their initials being in alphabetical order and they are readily recognisable by their ebullient use of colour and form. Employed during the war as a camoufleur, along with so many other artists, Clifford was also an official war artist, serving with the Grenadier Guards. Rosemary, meanwhile, was an artist for the Recording Britain project. Following the war they trained art teachers at Bath Academy of Art. They also designed a series of nearly one hundred book jackets for Collins New Naturalist series, published between 1945 and 1982 and were always fascinated by animals and natural history, as with this sketch. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very good.
  • Clifford and Rosemary Ellis

    London Underground Map (1935)

      Original vintage poster 103 x 64 cm Signed in the plate 'Clifford & Rosemary Ellis '35". Printed by Waterlow & Sons Ltd for London Transport. Provenance: the artists' studio. This marvellous original vintage poster was designed for London Transport and encourages shoppers to use the Tube to do their Christmas shopping. The map of London's streets of shops, including High Street Kensington, Westbourne Grove, and the Brompton Road, are set on the background of Christmas wishlists and shopping lists. The cross-section of a Christmas stocking at the top of the poster includes a doll and a toy train amongst other stocking fillers. London Transport was the forerunner of London Underground. During the 1930s London Transport commissioned over forty posters a year from well-known artists such as Laura Knight, CRW Nevinson, Edward Wadsworth, Eric Ravilious, Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland, and Edward McKnight Kauffer – a bold policy that did much to popularise avant-garde artistic styles that stemmed from Cubism, Futurism and Abstraction. Condition: very good; backed to linen. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Click here for other original vintage London Transport posters.
  • Clifford and Rosemary Ellis

    London Underground Map (1935)

      Original vintage poster 103 x 64 cm Signed in the plate 'Clifford & Rosemary Ellis '35". Printed by Waterlow & Sons Ltd for London Transport. Provenance: the artists' studio. This marvellous original vintage poster was designed for London Transport and encourages shoppers to use the Tube to do their Christmas shopping. The map of London's streets of shops, including Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Bond Street, are set on the background of a Christmas shopping list and various items to be purchased. The cross-section of a Christmas cracker at the top of the poster includes the joke: 'Why is a railway timetable like life?' - 'Because it is full of ups and downs. London Transport was the forerunner of London Underground. During the 1930s London Transport commissioned over forty posters a year from well-known artists such as Laura Knight, CRW Nevinson, Edward Wadsworth, Eric Ravilious, Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland, and Edward McKnight Kauffer – a bold policy that did much to popularise avant-garde artistic styles that stemmed from Cubism, Futurism and Abstraction. Condition: very good; backed to linen. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Click here for other original vintage London Transport posters.
  • Clifford and Rosemary Ellis

    It Is Better To Return Early

      Lithographic poster 102 x 61 cm Printed by Waterlow & Sons Ltd for London Transport. This original vintage poster was designed for London Transport and encourages shoppers to head home earlier in the day to avoid congestion on the London Underground and buses. The well-heeled customers in the poster sport smart 1930s shoes, and jostle against their purchases (a Father Christmas puppet and red-berried holly leaves mark the design as published in time for Christmas). The pinstripe-suited gentleman's newspaper serves as the background for the first line of the poster's text, which is slanted in the synthetic cubist style (synthetic cubists were keen to explore collage in their work, often employing collage, especially of newsprint). London Transport was the forerunner of London Underground. During the 1930s London Transport commissioned over forty posters a year from well-known artists such as Laura Knight, CRW Nevinson, Edward Wadsworth, Eric Ravilious, Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland, and Edward McKnight Kauffer – a bold policy that did much to popularise avant-garde artistic styles that stemmed from Cubism, Futurism and Abstraction. Condition: very good, backed to linen. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Click here for other works by Clifford and Rosemary Ellis.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985) Snow Laden Branch

    44.5x51cm Watercolour and Pen Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985) Sheep

    18x18cm Charcoal Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail XVIII

    7.5x18cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail XVII

    5x7cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail XVI

    4x7cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail XV

    7.5x5.5cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail XIV

    11x4.5cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail XIII

    8x9.5cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail XII

    6x6.5cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail XI

    5x8cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail X

    5x7cm Pen, ink and watercolour On antique laid paper, watermarked 'T Edmonds 1814' Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent.
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very Good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail Sitting Up

    23.5x17cm Linocut Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988)
    Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Good, rough edges as done by artist.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1988) Snail on Leaf

    15x24cm Linocut
    Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their ‘New Naturalists’ series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the – otherwise excellent – content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Good, rough edges as done by artist.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985) Goat

    Coloured Pencil drawing 19x22cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Excellent.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985) Hens by a chicken shed at Corsham Court

    Watercolour 37x56cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Here Ellis paints the hens at Corsham Court together with their chicken shed. Born in Bognor in Sussex and trained at St Martin’s School of Art and Regent Street Polytechnic, Ellis was a graphic artist and illustrator who is best known for the posters he produced for London Transport during the 1930s. He generally collaborated with his wife Rosemary – whom he married in 1931 – on their posters. The General Post Office, Shell, and The Empire Marketing Board were also clients for their posters. They signed their posters C&RE, their initials being in alphabetical order and they are readily recognisable by their ebullient use of colour and form. Employed during the war as a camoufleur, along with so many other artists, Clifford was also an official war artist, serving with the Grenadier Guards. Rosemary, meanwhile, was an artist for the Recording Britain project. Following the war they trained art teachers at Bath Academy of Art. They also designed a series of nearly one hundred book jackets for Collins New Naturalist series, published between 1945 and 1982. Clifford Ellis studied illustration at the Regent Street Polytechnic, an institution that specialised in ’practical trade classes’, from 1924-27. He went on to design book covers (notably for Collins’ ‘New Naturalist’ series) and posters for London Transport, the General Post Office, Shell-Mex, the Empire Marketing Board and J. Lyons & Co., along with his wife, Rosemary Ellis, whom he married in 1931 while he was teaching at the Polytechnic. The couple’s poster designs combine striking colour with bold typography and depict stylised scenes of the countryside, birds and animals. In the 1930s London Transport commissioned over forty posters a year from well-known artists such as Laura Knight, CRW Nevinson, Edward Wadsworth, Eric Ravilious, Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland and Edward McKnight Kauffer – a bold policy that did much to popularise avant-garde artistic styles that stemmed from Cubism, Futurism and Abstraction. Such an influence is clear in the Ellises poster ‘It’s better to shop early’ (above, 1935) in which arms, hands and parcels are disjointed and angular with the text on a slant, like the collaged newsprint insertions of synthetic Cubism. This strong foundation in graphic art clearly influenced his approach to composition for the rest of his career. Even his later abstract work, though tonally subtle, is based on a simple but powerful linear design. ‘The Coming of the Ice Age’, a series of watercolour and crayon studies (one large finished canvas, ‘Advance of an Ice Age’, exists in the collection of Derbyshire and Derby School Library Services) reduces natural forms to simplified shapes and colour planes, though retaining the texture of brushstrokes and crayon. The Ellises visited the Devon coastal town of Teignmouth to carry out a commission for Lyons for a lithograph in 1947, and the rocky bay with its whitewashed buildings and sailboats (below) caught Clifford’s imagination. He painted numerous preparatory watercolour views for the lithograph, while both the grey-blue colour palette as well as the pleasing repetitive geometry of sails reflected on water might be discerned in later abstract works. During the Second World War Ellis served as a camouflage artist and official war artist with the Grenadier Guards. Roland Penrose was another British artist who worked in this area and wrote ‘The Home Guard Manual of Camouflage’ which effectively adapted modern painting techniques for use in warfare. The tonal colour range of many of Ellis’s post-war paintings and the abstract network of shapes – for instance the pale blue patchwork ‘glacier’ in the ‘Coming of the Ice Age III’ (below) – seem to hark back to the art of the modernist camoufleur. Ellis played another important role during the war, painting and drawing scenes of Bath for the Recording Britain project. This project was conceived by Kenneth Clark, then Director of the National Gallery, alongside the official War Artists scheme; its aim was to document Britain’s landscape and architectural heritage in the face of the imminent threat of invasion and bomb damage. It also had a propaganda motive; the resulting works were exhibited during the war and aimed to boost the nation’s morale (they are now in the collection of the V&A). The paintings were predominantly in watercolour, a traditional British medium that Clark was keen to promote and felt would complement the subject matter. Two of Ellis’ pupils, discussing his watercolour sketch of VE Day in Bath, recall him as quietly observant but also someone who enjoyed life; the painting is spontaneous and full of the movement of dancing figures and waving flags. In particular, Ellis was commissioned to depict examples of Bath’s decorative architectural ironwork before it was removed to help the war effort and he also recorded the effects of bombing raids on the city. Meanwhile Ellis had joined the staff of the Bath School of Art (or Bath Technical College). Its temporary residence was destroyed by bombs in 1942 and Walter Sickert’s house at Bathampton offered as a refuge (Sickert, who had taught at the School, died in January 1942). After the war the School began its transformation into the Bath Academy of Art based at Corsham Court, of which Ellis was the Head from 1937-72, training art teachers and developing a pioneering new syllabus. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Excellent. In a conservation mount.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985) William the Pug - on the Table

    36x25cm including frame 17x17cm excluding frame Pencil sketch Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Born in Bognor in Sussex and trained at St Martin’s School of Art and Regent Street Polytechnic, Ellis was a graphic artist and illustrator who is best known for the posters he produced for London Transport during the 1930s. He generally collaborated with his wife Rosemary – whom he married in 1931 – on their posters. The General Post Office, Shell, and The Empire Marketing Board were also clients for their posters. They signed their posters C&RE, their initials being in alphabetical order and they are readily recognisable by their ebullient use of colour and form. Employed during the war as a camoufleur, along with so many other artists, Clifford was also an official war artist, serving with the Grenadier Guards. Rosemary, meanwhile, was an artist for the Recording Britain project. Following the war they trained art teachers at Bath Academy of Art. They also designed a series of nearly one hundred book jackets for Collins New Naturalist series, published between 1945 and 1982 and were always fascinated by animals and natural history, as with this sketch. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Good. In hand-finished Nicholson butt-jointed frame. Some toning to paper.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985) William the Pug - facing right

    31x36cm including frame 13x19cm excluding frame Pencil sketch Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Born in Bognor in Sussex and trained at St Martin’s School of Art and Regent Street Polytechnic, Ellis was a graphic artist and illustrator who is best known for the posters he produced for London Transport during the 1930s. He generally collaborated with his wife Rosemary – whom he married in 1931 – on their posters. The General Post Office, Shell, and The Empire Marketing Board were also clients for their posters. They signed their posters C&RE, their initials being in alphabetical order and they are readily recognisable by their ebullient use of colour and form. Employed during the war as a camoufleur, along with so many other artists, Clifford was also an official war artist, serving with the Grenadier Guards. Rosemary, meanwhile, was an artist for the Recording Britain project. Following the war they trained art teachers at Bath Academy of Art. They also designed a series of nearly one hundred book jackets for Collins New Naturalist series, published between 1945 and 1982 and were always fascinated by animals and natural history, as with this sketch. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Good. In hand-finished Nicholson butt-jointed frame.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985) Broad Chalke, Wiltshire

    20x33cm Carbon pencil Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Born in Bognor in Sussex and trained at St Martin’s School of Art and Regent Street Polytechnic, Ellis was a graphic artist and illustrator who is best known for the posters he produced for London Transport during the 1930s. He generally collaborated with his wife Rosemary – whom he married in 1931 – on their posters. The General Post Office, Shell, and The Empire Marketing Board were also clients for their posters. They signed their posters C&RE, their initials being in alphabetical order and they are readily recognisable by their ebullient use of colour and form. Employed during the war as a camoufleur, along with so many other artists, Clifford was also an official war artist, serving with the Grenadier Guards. Rosemary, meanwhile, was an artist for the Recording Britain project. Following the war they trained art teachers at Bath Academy of Art. They also designed a series of nearly one hundred book jackets for Collins New Naturalist series, published between 1945 and 1982 and were always fascinated by animals and natural history, as with this sketch. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Condition: Generally very good.
  • Rosemary Ellis (1910-1998)

    Snail iv

    Gouache, 1940s/1950s 25x15cm On laid antique paper In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Swallow

    Pencil, 1950s 17.5x21.5 cm In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. Clifford and Rosemary wrote a series of illustrated books for young children including this one featuring Chico. Although never published they are now held by the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Chico the Red Panda

    Pencil, 1950s 16x30cm In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. Clifford and Rosemary wrote a series of illustrated books for young children including this one featuring Chico. Although never published they are now held by the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Snakes

    Gouache, 1940s/1950s 21x35cm In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Bufo the Toad

    Pencil, 1950s 11x14cm In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. "Old Bufo is the biggest Toad. He is very tame and always knows that when I make a special scratching noise he will get fed." Clifford and Rosemary wrote a series of illustrated books for young children including this one featuring Bufo. Although never published they are now held by the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Deer I

    Pencil, 1940s/1950s 12x20cm In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Curlew II

    Pencil, 1940s/1950s In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Curlew I

    Pencil, 1940s/1950s In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Cadbury Castle, Wiltshire

    Gouache, 1940s/1950s In a Nicholson butt-jointed frame Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were famous as a husband and wife team for their fascination with nature and their vibrant and charming depictions of animals. They were the natural artists to be commissioned by Collins for their 'New Naturalists' series of books, which have become famous and highly collectable more for the dust jackets designed by the Ellises than for the - otherwise excellent - content. This painting is from a recently discovered series of paintings and drawings, never before seen by the general public, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Sketch for Sailing Boats I

    Pencil 9x17cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford and Rosemary Ellis

    Shop Early (1935)

    Lithographic poster for London Transport 101 x 63.5 cm Printed by Waterlow & Sons Ltd For the artist’s biographical details and for other works by the artist available for sale please click here.  If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford and Rosemary Ellis

    You can be sure of Shell

    Chanter's Folly and Dry Dock, Appledore

    Lithographic poster for Shell Mex BP (1937) 30x44" Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Condition: A/A- backed to linen. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. Shell produced a large series of posters in the 1920s and 30s to encourage motorists to use their products in that early and golden age of motoring. They often commission artists not known for their commercial art, so their posters very often featured large and dramatic views of the British countryside and landmarks, inspiring motorists to travel further afield. Here the Ellises have taken a well-known landmark and applied avant-garde artistic techniques so stylising the view, turning, e.g. the clouds into an array of angular v-shaped blocks. Thomas Burnard Chanter (1797-1874) was owner of a fleet of sailing vessels and erected a signal tower ('Chanter's Folly') to give him advance notice of his vessels' arrival. It was demolished in 1952. The dry dock - Richmond dry dock - was built in 1853 and designed to hold two 'large' ships. It exists today and is Grade II listed. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford and Rosemary Ellis

    Travels in Time on your Doorstep

    Lithographic poster for London Transport (1937) 101 x 63.5 cm Printed by Curwen Press Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Condition: A- backed to linen, pin holes to corners. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis

    Untitled III

    Pencil drawing 13x16cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Abstract in Grey I

    Gouache 21x12cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Autumn in Yellow and Brown

    Gouache 27x15cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Grey Abstract 

    Gouache 10x18cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Form

    Gouache 21x30cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Collage II

    Collage 16x37cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. During his time at Bath, Ellis employed many of the leading artists of the time to teach a day or two here and there. This collage has clear suggestions of influence from Peter Lanyon. In what is clearly a landscape, the collaged includes an image of a bridge from the new M1 motorway (freeway) tearing out the heart of the countryside. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist  If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Collage I

    Collage 13x56cm Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist  If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Sailing Boats in White

    Pencil and gouache 26x14cm Provenance: the family of the artist, by descent. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis

    Sosicles II (1934)

    Watercolour costume design for theatre production. 32x18cm Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Coming of the Ice Age I

    Watercolour 16x25cm For the artist's biographical details and to see the other three designs from this series available for sale please click here.  If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.
  • Clifford Ellis (1907-1985)

    Coming of the Ice Age IV

    Watercolour and crayon 23x36cm Inscribed lower left For the artist's biographical details and to see the other three designs from this series available for sale please click here.  If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.

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