Holyhead Dun Laoghaire

Title - Holyhead - Dun Laoghaire - Royal Mail Route to Ireland.
Location - Holyhead, Wales; Dun Loaghaire - Ireland.
Artist - John Rowland Barker (1911-1959).

Description - A clever piece of graphic design, utilising an envelope to suggest the Royal Mail route, the ferry superimposed to suggest the mode of transport, the coasts of Wales and Ireland at the poster edges, and the sea in daylight at the bottom and darkness at the top for the day and night services. This poster was produced for the North American market, to suggest a route visitors could take between Ireland and Britain.

Year Published - 1955
Size - Double Royal  (approx 40 x 25in or 101.5 x 63.5cm)

Other Details:
Original Vintage British Railways Travel Poster.
Published by British Railways (London Midland Region) L.M. 12155
Printed in Great Britain by Jordison & Co Ltd, London and Middlesbrough

Condition Grade and Condition Report:
Grade: A-, un-conserved.
Some small pen and pencil notes on rear not visible from front, a few small edge nicks. More detailed photos are available on request if required.

More About The Artist:
John Rowland Barker was a painter, poster designer and mural painter. He also worked under the name Kraber in the late 1930s. He studied at the Leicester School of Art, was awarded a scholarship by the International Guild of Decorators to travel to Italy and Paris, and then began his career as a graphic designer in 1934. He was an assistant to Austin Cooper and taught at Eastbourne School of Art. In 1950 he won a Poster Competition for the United Kingdom Recovery Programme. He designed posters for the GPO, BBC, London Transport, HMV, Orient Line and British Railways.  As well as posters, he designed textiles, book and magazine illustrations and murals for several exhibitions.