Category Archives: Uncategorized

  Here is an image of Bradshaw’s railway map of the UK. It’s dated 1852. I love the decorative engraving of the title and the clever way some of the more important cities have their own detailed maps, ranged to … Continue reading →

Anyone who knows me will know that; apart from trains, I enjoy restaurant meals…quite often and as I’ve posted before, these two go together…the development of the railway system facilitated the all-day dining and fast-food environments that are familiar today. … Continue reading →

Here is a railway safety poster by Leonard Cusden. I’ve posted before about Leonard Cusden and safety posters…just google, bagdcontext and cusden. This poster is from before 1940; so, it’s quite early for this kind of thing. Also, you can … Continue reading →

I’ve recently been posting, on my other blog, about the cultural impact of speed… I used the term machine-ensemble, in those posts and below, to describe the context of what I was describing. It turns out that the term is … Continue reading →

The BBC are showing a classic Hitchcock film on Christmas day evening…It’s The Lady Vanishes (1938). I’ve posted before about Hitchcock, cinema and trains…here’s an edited text that combines bits of all these old posts. Happy holidays to you all. Alfred Hitchcock … Continue reading →

My new issue of eye, the international review of graphic design, arrived today. Imagine my surprise and delight to discover this amazing gatefold of a Wrigley billboard design by Otis and Dorothy Shepard from 1937…the airbrush and streamlining of the train … Continue reading →

My friend and colleague, Dave Hendley, sent this over…lovely and atmospheric. I especially like the curve of the rails and the light on them. The smoke and telegraph wires add vertical drama too.

Here’s a poster image of BRs famous new identity from the mid1960s…it still looks pretty good now. The identities associated with the privatisation of the railway have been pretty poor – except that they provide plenty of opportunity for corporate … Continue reading →

Here’s a photograph by Walker Evans. It shows a small railway station, out in the sticks. Evans was a photographer associated with the Farm Security Administration. During the 1930s, the FSA documented the lives of ordinary Americans working in the … Continue reading →