C.W. Bacon

London Transport Museum (LTM) held an exhibition in 1997 focusing on decorative maps (some used in posters) commissioned by London Transport (LT). Work by C.W. Bacon was to be included. Bacon also designed book covers, certainly in the 1950s. Bacon was called up to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1942, and released to the Ministry of Information (MOI) the same year, after about 6 months spent painting bicycles in RAF. He remained working for the MOI until 1944, although probably on a freelance basis. Notes from Bacon’s ‘day book’ note that he did the following work for the MOI:

• May 1939, design for National Service poster, for which he was paid £31 10s.
• August 1939, design for Air Raid Precautions (ARP) poster ‘Wardens Wanted’, for which he was paid £36 15s
• October 1939, design for poster ‘Empire Strength’, along with other artists, for which he/they were paid £52 10s
• March 1941, design for poster map of Great Britain and Ireland, nor used as too many of the symbols depicted actual places, for which he was paid £57 15s
• Undated freelance design for gas quiz, mask or rattles.

Information collated from: Berro, M., ‘C.W. Bacon’, http://www.massmedia.com/~mikeb/booktour/c_w_bacon.htm, accessed 28 August 2003; Notes from C.W. Bacon’s day book, contained within an e-mail from Jeremy Bacon, the son of C.W.Bacon, October 23 2003.

Austin Cooper (b.1890; d.1964)

Canadian born, Cooper trained and practised in Britain. He studied at the Cardiff School of Art from the age of thirteen, before winning a scholarship to the Allan-Frazer Art College, Arbroath from 1906 until 1910. In 1910 he moved to London, studying in the evenings at the City and Guilds School. He returned to Canada as a commercial artist, although this was interrupted by war service in Europe.He settled in London in 1922, and received the first of many poster commissions from London Underground. Over the next two decades he established as reputation as a top poster designer. After the 1920s his work became increasingly pictorial, and he produced work for the London Underground, the Empire Marketing Board, and the LNER. He was the first Principal of the Reimann School of Commercial and Industrial Art from 1936 to 40, turning from his career as a poster artist in 1943 to become a full time painter. One of his last poster designs would then have been the ‘Make your money provide the driving power’ campaign for the Post Office in 1943.

Information taken from: ‘Cooper, Austin’, Poster Database, London Transport Museum; Livingston, A, and Livingston, I.,Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers, 1992, p.48; ‘G.P.O. Follows up Appeal to Public’, Advertiser’s Weekly, August 26 1943, p.264.

Related texts: Cooper, A. Making a Poster, 1938

Robert Sargent Austin (b.1875; d.1973)

Austin was born in Leicester and studied at the School of Art, 1909-13, and at the Royal College of Art (RCA) under Frank Short. From 1915-1919 Austin served in the trenches, and from 1922-1925 lived in Rome, then taught at the RCA. Known as an etcher, engraver and watercolourist, in 1921 Austin was elected to the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, and was elected to the Royal Academy (RA) in 1949. Austin’s first real graphic work was in 1921, the Horse of Ostend ‘which bears a close resemblance to a similar work by the Dutch etching Pieter Dupont’. From 1924, line engraving took prominence over etching, ‘perhaps more suited to Austin’s patient and methodical temperament. His inspiration was clearly drawn from the Old Masters, sometimes having a distinctly German feel’. Women feature prominently in Austin’s work, often, as in Before Mass, depicted from behind.Austin, trying to ignore the stress and turmoil of the changes for artists, returned to ‘old patterns of collector, patron and dealer’, held fast ‘to traditional, medieval modes of expression and subject matter. Austin was an official war artists in the Second World War, whose work, ‘in pen and ink and wash colours’ was posted on the Underground in the series ‘Our Heritage’. As a teacher, Austin was said to have been stern and uncompromising, ‘craftsmanship being key to his work and attitude, however much inspiration and passion may lie beneath the cool and exacting surface’. Works by Austin are held in numerous public and private collections, including the USA National Gallery of Art (NGA).

Information collated from:
‘McLean Arts & Books, ‘Art / Books by/about Robert Austin’,http://www.mcleanbooks.com/gallery/artistinfo.php?artist=36, Accessed 21 September 2003; NCL, ‘R.S. Austin – Engraving’, http://www.ncl.ac.uk/hatton/programme/2001/Print.imagelinks/Austin.html, Accessed August 28 2003; Artfacts, ‘Art Information’, http://artfacts.org/artinfo/presentations/Mat_History/MatHist-26.htm, Accessed August 28 2003; ‘Brighter Posters’, Advertiser’s Weekly, April 8 1843, p.34. See also LTM Artwork and British Council collection.