Boat Race Poster 1912 – Charles Sharland

Charles Sharland was a prolific artist in the early 1900s, specialising in travel and transport posters for the Underground Group. through to the 1920s. He worked at the London-based printer Waterlow & Sons, who printed the 1912 Boat Race Poster featured on this page.

Sharland started working for Waterlow’s in 1908. His first poster for the company was ‘The Valley of the Thames’ produced in. It featured Sharland’s image of ‘Richmond from the water’. The poster was well received and was considered important enough for John Henry Lloyd to reproduce it as one of the posters displayed on the wall in his 1910 Underground poster ‘Too Much of a Good Thing’.

Boat Race Poster 1912 by Charles Sharland

Sharland’s poster for the 1912 Boat Race poster was commissioned by the Underground Electric Railway Company. The eye-catching prints would be posted on the inside of underground railway carriages and on underground stations and platforms to encourage underground rail travel to various stations along the route of the race. The poster lists Putney Bridge, Hammersmith, Ravencourt Park, Stamford Brook, Turnham Green and Chiswick Park as destinations to observe the oldest boat race in the world.

The poster offers a bird’s eye view from above the centre of the River Thames. In the foreground, a small steamboat with several crew and adjudicators onboard steams its way up the Thames estuary. In the distance, the two competing university crews can be seen racing towards Chiswick Bridge and the finish line. At the top of the poster, the artwork features the Underground logo, below which reads ‘Boat Race Day, Saturday 30th March.

This poster was made just four years after his Valley of the Thames design. There is a staggering difference in styles. The boat race image is far simpler in this design. There is an influence of the early art deco styles that were to make such a huge impact on the world during the 1920s. Sharland’s work is highly sought after by collectors and often sells for high prices. His unique style and ability to capture a moment in time and make his posters some of the most desirable in the world.

The 1912 Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race

 The 1912 Boat Race took place on 30th March. It was the 69th time the two rival teams would face each other in a battle for victory. Oxford entered the contest as reigning champions having beaten Cambridge by two and three-quarter lengths in 1911. ‘The Dark Blues’ were leading the overall winner’s table with 38 victories to the Light Blue’s 30 wins.

The two university rowing teams got started precisely at 11.43 am. The start time of the race is always accurately timed so that the flood tide pushes the current in the direction of rowing. The weather was

In terrible weather conditions and a heavy gale, Cambridge got off to the faster start. Having completed little more than half the course both crews had taken on large amounts of water. Cambridge rowed to shore to disembark and empty their boat, before getting back onto the water. In a case of miscommunication, the Oxford boat was approached by the Umpire’s launch and was informed, incorrectly, by the Umpire Frederick Pitman that Cambridge had sunk and that he was declaring the contest a ‘No Race’.

The 1912 Boat Race was rescheduled for April 1st, I kid you not. Again, the weather was bad and, if anything, the winds were stronger. However, the race was played out and victory went to Oxford. The Dark Blues won by six lengths, the largest winning margin since the 1903 race. The 4.2 miles were covered in a time of 22 minutes 5 seconds, the slowest time since 1901. More importantly to Oxford, they were able to stretch the overall winning results to 38-30 in their favour.