Jock Kinneir:
The Original Design for 'These Men Use Shell, Riders to Hounds, You Can be Sure of Shell', 1938
Framed (ref: 7774)
Signed, with a label on the reverse:
catalogue no 520, The Property of Shell-Mex and BP Ltd, 1938Gouache and collage
15 1/4 x 27 3/4 in. (39.3 x 70.5 cm)
Tags: Jock Kinneir gouache sport women Sporting Greats
Provenance: Private collection
The printed lithographic version of this design measured 76 x 114 cm. (29.9 x 44.9 in.)
The Dutch-British oil company Shell launched its first poster campaign in the 1920s. A new era began in the 1930s, when Shell followed in the footsteps of London Transport and invited progressive artists to design a poster campaign. These artists included the surrealists Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland and Tristam Hillier as well as Edward McKnight Kauffer.
The new poster campaign featured two themes. The first advertised Shell subtly by associating English nature and sights to the company’s reliability: “To visit Britain’s landmarks you can be sure of Shell”. The second theme created an image of Shell as the choice of people of all professions. All people – actors, shopkeepers, judges, artists, gardeners, photographers, tourists, sailors, pipe smokers –prefer Shel.
Kinneir was a typographer and graphic designer who designed many of the road signs found throughout the United Kingdom.
