Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890 – 1954)

Uxbridge (1919)

Original vintage poster

76 x 51 cm

Designed in 1919 and printed by the Dangerfield Printing Co Ltd on the 12th April 1920. 224/1000.

A fantastic 1919 poster illustrating the pleasures of Uxbridge. Another version of this poster, bearing the legend ‘Uxbridge by Tram’, was released the same year to advertise London United Tramways. A copy of the poster is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Edward McKnight Kauffer was an American artist and graphic designer who lived for much of his life in the United Kingdom. He is mainly known for his work in poster design, but was also active as a painter, book illustrator and theatre designer. He studied art at the California School of Design from 1910 to 1912 and then at the Académie Moderne in Paris until 1914 (via a six month stint at the Art Institute of Chicago). He moved to London upon the start of the First World War and produced 140 poster for London Underground and London Transport. He created posters for Shell Oil, the Great Western Railway and other commercial clients, and also illustrated books and book covers. Later he also became interested in textiles, interior design, and theatrical design.

He returned to New York City in 1940 and began designing posters for American Airlines (his primary client until his death) in 1947 .In 1952 he designed the book jacket for Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man – arguably Kauffer’s most famous work.

Condition: generally very good; a few short neatly repaired edge tears. Amusing article loosely pasted to reverse.

If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.

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