The Institute of Historical Research

“The Institute of Historical Research is part of the University of London’s School of Advanced Study. Situated in the heart of Bloomsbury, close to the British Library and other centres of specialist research, it is an important resource and meeting place for scholars from all over the world. It contains an open-access library and a common room, publishes works of reference, administers a number of research projects and runs courses and conferences. It offers research fellowships to students nearing the completion of their doctorates, and administers other awards.”

Founded in 1921 by A. F. Pollard, the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is an important resource and meeting place for researchers from all over the world. Based at the University of London, the IHR offers:

• IHR library – an outstanding open-access library
• conferences and seminars that are open to the public
• postgraduate degrees and research training
• The History Lab, a hub for postgraduate students
• resources for historical research in both digital format and print
• publications – including the Institute’s journal Historical Research”
  

The IHR is based in Senate House, where the Ministry of Information was located during the war – adds a special piquancy every time I enter!

George Him (b.1900)

Him was born in Lódz, Poland, of Russian-Jewish parents. After completing his university studies at the comparative history of religions in Moscow, Berlin and Bonn, he studied graphic art for four years at the Staatliche Akademie für Graphische Künste und Buchwerbe in Leipzig. He worked freelance in Germany until 1933, when he met and started working in partnership with Jan Le Witt, under the name of Lewitt-Him. The partnership was dissolved in 1954, after which Him worked as a freelance, mainly in book illustration, advertising and exhibition design, ‘best known through his newspaper advertisements for Schweppes and Haus Neuerberg’. In the 1950s, George Him was represented by Artist Partners, Ltd. In May 1957 Art and Industry discussed Him’s work, his contribution to modern advertising, particularly in the development of brand products where the ‘uniqueness of the product’ is sold. During the 1950s and 60s Him collaborated with Stephen Potter on a famous series of advertisements for Schweppes drinks featuring the imaginary English county of ‘Schweppshire’. Him was responsible for the window display at the department store De Bijenkorf in Rotterdam on the occasion of its re-opening in 1958. By 1962 latest, Him was a British subject, and was elected RDI in 1977. Papers covering the work of George Him in the period 1919 to 1986 are held at NAL.

Information collated from: Amstutz, W., Who’s Who in Graphic Art 1962, p.242; Darracott, J. and Loftus, B., Second World War Posters, 1981 (1972), p.44; Artist Partners ‘ap retro’, http://www.artistpartners.com/mainpages/ap_retro.html, accessed August 28 2003; Gowing, M., ‘The Creative Mind in Advertising: George Him’, Art and Industry, Vol. 62, No.371, May 1957; Livingston, A. and Livingston, I., Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers, 1992, p.120; National Art Library, ‘AAD Holdings’, http://www.nal.vam.ac.uk/aad/aadalpha.html, accessed August 28 2003. Read more: George Him estate.