Paintings, Prints & Drawings — 1928
Britannia visits the London Museum
n April 1928, the London Museum commissioned Rex Whistler to produce a drawing for a poster that would be displayed by the Underground Electric Railways Company. He wrote: 'I feel it will be more amusing (for me at any rate) if I make the poster allegorical of London or of its history or custom, than if it is a view of the Museum or of its contents'.
The result is typical of Whistler's witty, fantasy world. A smiling Britannia greets a deferential policeman as she is driven to the Museum in a hansom cab with Union Jack wheels. The lion and unicorn symbolise the Museum's historical links to the British monarchy. In the background, familiar London landmarks include the steeple of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Nelson's Column, and the dome of St Paul's.
London-born Whistler studied at the Royal Academy of Arts and the Slade School. He was living in Fitzroy Street when he completed this work.
- Category:
- Paintings, Prints & Drawings
- Object ID:
- 92.6
- Object name:
- Britannia visits the London Museum
- Artist/Maker:
- Whistler, Rex
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1928
- Material:
paper, gouache, ink
- Measurements/duration:
- H 760 mm, W 593 mm (paper)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 60%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
Accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by H M Government and allocated to the Museum of London, 1992
- Copyright holder:
DACS Design and Artists Copyright Society
- Image credit:
© Estate of Rex Whistler. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2013
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.