Brightest London Mixed Media

Postage Stamp Collage
Brightest London - from a London Underground poster by Horace Taylor 1924
This picture is composed of approximately 2,700 used postage stamps which are available in a huge range of colours and designs.. The stamp colours are not altered and post marks are still visible on close observation. This picture was created on quality deep edge canvas. It is not framed and should not be displayed in direct sunlight although all canvases are varnished twice and have a coat of U.V. protection.
The 1920’s and early 1930’s were the heyday of the London Underground poster design in both quality and quantity. It was a period of rapid growth for the system. The Underground Company established a corporate design identity with an advertising policy whose artists were experimenting with new graphic styles. The Underground Group became an important patron of the ’Art’s’ and a leader in the field of poster publicity.
Horace Taylor (1881 – 1934) studied at London School of Art and the Royal Academy, Munich. He became a well known English graphic artist and from circa 1922 was engaged almost entirely with commercial art, a large percentage of his time with the London Underground Company. ‘Brightest London as a poster was produced for them in 1924. For me, it was a difficult target to achieve as a ‘stamp’ design having so much detail and in terms of time was at a premium. However following several weeks’ work this tribute was completed.