Studio: international art (79.1920)

THE POSTER REVIVAL

the artist are apparent at once. In the
case of the labels, Mr. Kauffer has suc-
ceeded in producing a series of designs
which are a marked improvement on the
ordinary run of such things, for label
designs usually seem to be left to the least
skilful designers. a a a a
Among the advertisers who have followed
the example and profited by the success of
the campaign of the Underground Railway,
the firm of Derry and Toms at Kensington
has been one of the most prominent.
Many of the young artists whose work
appeared for the first time in the service of
the Electric Railways have produced de-
signs for this firm, and the strikingly
original posters by Mr. Kauffer here repro-
duced is one of the most effective. a

In much of the work of Mr. McKnight
Kauffer he has been to a certain extent
controlled by the limitations of subject and
144

STATIONERY LABELS DESIGNED
FOR G. WATERSTON AND SONS,
LTD, BY E. MCKNIGHT KAUFFER

other accidental but inevitable conditions of
ordinary commercial advertising. What he
can do when he allows his imagination full
play is shown by one of his daring posters
for exhibitions of the London Group (see p.
147). These are among the best things Mr.
Kauffer has done, and are only equalled
by the design for the “ Daily Herald ”
(p. 143). This last is one of the latest of
this artist's designs, and we hope that his
future work will be on these lines. In
some of his earlier work there is a mixture
of naturalism and stern convention : as if
parts of the design had been adapted from
photographs. But it is clear that Mr.
Kauffer can produce poster designs of the
highest artistic quality, and if he is en-
couraged he will do much to restore the
original pre-eminence of this country in
poster art. At present, in spite of the far
larger area of poster display here than in