Romancing The Rails: British Railway Posters

Wednesday 15 September 2021

The lecture notes leaflet can be downloaded/printed here

Charles Harris

This lecture was originally planned for July 2020 but was postponed because of Covid-19.

Charles Harris is visiting us for the second time; he originally lectured to us in June 2011 on Cassandre Style From Kharkov To Jeeves And Wooster.

Focusing on the role of posters and poster artists in the history of advertising, Charles Harris is a global-award winning Creative Director of international advertising agencies. He has lectured extensively on design, illustration and photographic styles as they have influenced the building of brands. He has himself created posters for major brands including British Airways, Nestlé, Sony, General Motors and Shell. His travel writing and photography has appeared in various airline magazines as well as Time. He has also written and produced several hundred TV and Radio commercials and corporate video programmes. Charles is a member of The Arts Society Winchester.

The Flying Scotsman, Golden Arrows, Belles and Pullmans; no wonder Betjeman still stands in awe at St Pancras. Covering the Golden Age of British Railways, the era of the Big Four 1923 – 1947, this lecture celebrates the most romantic period of our British travel history. You’ll see how the best travel posters connect with your heart and your mind, and how they have closely reflected the evolution of British holidays.

Caption:  British Railways promotional poster for Whitley Bay.  From the collections of The National Archives