East Coast Joys travel poster. Travel by LNER to the Drier Side of Britain No.2 Sun Bathing – Tom Purvis
This listing offers the East Coast Joys poster in five sizes, all based on the original 102x63cm size format. The sizes available are 841mm x 520mm, 700mm x 432mm, 594mm x 366mm, 420mm x 260mm and 297mm x 184mm. We have created edited versions of the East Coast poster set, in a range of A-size and 50×70 formats.
There’s something about steam train travel that that evokes an emotional and nostalgic feeling in people. Maybe it’s the sense of adventure that comes with stepping aboard a grand old locomotive, or the romance of chugging through picturesque countryside. Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that trains have a special place in our hearts. Vintage railway posters provide a similar effect. They take you back to a simpler, more romantic era, the golden age of the railways.
The East Coast Joys poster series is a collection of six railway travel posters, created in 1931 promoting the London and North Eastern Railway railway. The posters were designed by Tom Purvis, and show the variety of activities available to visitors making the journey to the East Coast by Train.
Tom Purvis’s iconic posters capture the essence of activities available to visitors during their visit to the East Coast beach. The posters depict visitors walking along coastal path, sun bathing on the golden sands, children playing and building sand castles on the ‘Safe Sands’. Others posters feature a group of swimmers, sea-bathing in the deep blue water, sea fishing off the coastline and enjoying sea sports for the day in a speedboat.
East Coast Joys No 2 Sun-Bathing is the second poster in the series. It features a group of friends enjoying some down-time, chilling, lounging and chatting on the golden sands of the East Coast. The group are donning their best swimsuits in readiness for a dip in the beautiful blue waters of the North Sea.
The colors are bright and cheerful, and the overall effect is one of activity and leisure. These posters would be a great addition to any beach house or vacation rental. They would also make a unique gift for anyone who loves the beach.
The posters convey the message that the LNER railway is the best way to travel along the East Coast.Today, the poster series is a popular collectible, and it is considered to be one of Purvis’s best works. The newspaper reviews in 1931 were glowing with appreciation for Purvis’s East Coast Joys poster set. The Times reported, “In one case, East Coast Joys, the six posters, though each can be looked at separately, are ingeniously combined in a single design, with a delightful wave movement running through the whole.”
Poster artist Tom Purvis
Tom Purvis was one of the most prolific commercial artists of Britain’s golden age of railway posters. He was responsible for designing hundreds of posters for several of the large British railway companies including the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), as well as for many other companies and organisations. Purvis’s quickly became known as the “King of the Hoardings and his distinctive style – bold colors and simple shapes – made his work immediately recognisable.
Purvis is best known for his railway posters, however he produced dozens of posters for a wide range of other advertising material, including posters for the London Underground and London Transport. H also created several memorable World War II propaganda posters, including the “Dig For Victory” campaign. Today, Tom Purvis is regarded as one of the greatest commercial artists of the 20th century.
His association with LNER began in 1926 when the forward-thinking company employed five of the leading poster designers of the day, with three-year contracts. The artists became known as the ‘The Big Five’. In addition to Tom Purvis, the group included Fred Taylor, Frank Newbould, Austin Cooper and Frank H Mason.
Set of 6 Tom Purvis East Coast Joys posters sell for £19,500
Purvis’s posters captured the imagination of the public and helped to promote travel and tourism. Purvis’ work had a lasting impact on the British art scene and he is still remembered today as one of the greats. They continue to inspire and have become highly collectible in their original form. In 2019, an entire set of six East Coast Joys posters sold for £19,500.
Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as a fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.
