A theme that repeats itself throughout my blog is shop-related ephemera. I have studied shop display history and always been drawn to the merchandising of shops. Whether through-the-shop-window merchandising, or the paper things that they printed and sent out. I find the glamour of the branding around shops of the early to mid-twentieth century just makes me happy. The style of it. The commercial artists who designed it. The cleverness (often) of the copy. The graphic design loveliness.
This piece of card was sent out by the venerable Fortnum and Mason shop in 1938. I know that because it is dated, I’m clever like that. It is always nice when they date graphic things. It is such an immediate connection to what was happening, what was being promoted, to that point in time. In this case the card is promoting an exhibition (another weakness of mine, in so many ways) and what an image to catch the eye and whet the appetite.
This card is signed ‘Aufseeser’, as in Hans John Knox Aufseeser. He changed his name to Hans Tisdall in 1940 and is very much better known by that name. A German who lived in London (via Paris) Hans worked as a commercial artist and designed textiles for Edinburgh Weavers. Which makes me wonder, was he exhibiting textiles in this Fortnum’s exhibition and were they textiles featuring the grand cockerel on this card? This was before Hans designed rather a lot of nice book jackets, murals and other work that his father’s friendship with Frank Pick might have helped him get.
What a way to herald the spring in. This card, for an exhibition, in that lovely shop on Piccadilly. This particular card has since been written on, on the front (in pencil, thank you) and on the back for someone’s French studies. I don’t mind that, it may be why it has survived so long. Like much of my ephemera, it sends me on a (often fruitless) hunt for more information. About the exhibition, about Hans. And I confess, I like the hunt almost as much as I like the card itself.
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