90 year old tube poster reappearing on the London Underground
Published 10 May 2021 by By Ian Mansfield Transport News	— 5 Comments ↓
It probably feels like its been decades since many of us have travelled on the tube, and that effect will be magnified when you do, as there will be a vintage poster from 1931 appearing in the stations
The poster was first published in 1931 to advertise Tube travel into the West End following the opening of the new Piccadilly Circus Underground station. Depicting the vibrant glow of London's iconic cityscape, the poster is titled 'The West-End is awakening – and once again there is everything for your pleasure'.
Created by Huddersfield born painter, designer and sculptor, Ernest Michael Dinkel, the original poster depicts people of all ages silhouetted against the bright lights of Piccadilly. The bronze statue of the archer Anteros – more commonly known as Eros – can be seen centre-stage with St Paul's Cathedral standing tall in the distance.
The vintage poster, which is taken from the London Transport Museum collection will be shown on digital advertising sites across the network, having been updated to feature the Transport for London and Mayor of London logos.
The original poster design is one of more than 6,000 preserved in the museum's collection. Together these chart London Underground's reputation for commissioning posters by the leading artists and designers of the time.
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Tagged with: London Transport Museum, London Underground
Every now and then the underground comes up trumps and this is one of those inspired and stylish occasions.
I hope that they take the opportunity to suggest a visit to the museum somewhere near this poster.
I must admit I was looking forward to seeing the iconic "Is your journey really necessary?" one back at the beginning of this upheaval, but I suppose it would have 'scared the horses.'
duncan.martin says:
I thought that (Ant)Eros was unusually made of aluminium?
Correct. The statue was the first in the world to be cast from aluminium. The fountain below is bronze.
I would love to do some of this tfl.stuff but why is the prices of entry and products so prohibitive ( Whisky a 125 quid) to people like me on low incomes? There's vintage and theirs rip off…My Dad was Navvy and built most of London (and that's only half an exaggeration other the being he fell off a ladder😀)
ianVisits says:
Most of the events I write about tend to be under £15 to go to, and as I was curious I had a look and the average cost of the events in my calendar came out at just £3.60.
Obviously, a handful of very special events will be pricey, but that's the same for everything in life, and it's a sensible balance between the organisations (often charities) needing to cover their costs, raise money, and the rarity of the event opportunity.