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Barbara Jones 'The Fairground' School Print

Barbara Jones 'The Fairground' School Print

Barbara Jones 'The Fairground' School Print

Item No.
117945
      • Product Description: Featuring an illustration from the artist Barbara Jones this original lithograph is part of the 'School Prints' series - a series of lithographs produced in the 1940's with the intention of bringing contemporary art to young children.

        Signed in plate.
        Vintage lithograph from the original printing by the Baynard Press.
        Limited quantity available.

        School Prints was one of the most important post-war art schemes. Set up in 1945 by Brenda Rawnsley, School Prints aimed to commission colour lithographs from well-known artists which would then be printed in bulk and sold at a low cost to schools subscribing to the scheme; the goal was to provide children with direct and continuous contact with real works of art. Although the scheme ended in 1949 due to financial problems, it stands as a unique achievement in giving children access to original works of art in a time of austerity.

        The School Prints epitomise, and were inspired by, the atmosphere of optimism of post-war Britain that peaked at the 1951 Festival of Britain: the future was what mattered, and children were effectively Britain's future. As such, the prevailing spirit of the prints is one of quiet celebration; most of the scenes depict a familiar, everyday world of work and occasional celebration, with no reference to the devastation of the recent war.

        Jones (1912-1978) studied at the RCA and worked as a muralist, illustrator and writer of books. She was a major contributor to 'Recording Britain' and made many murals for exhibitions and ocean liners. She was particularly interested in 'popular' art, had a considerable personal collection, and wrote about aspects of the genre, for example fairgrounds, canals, burials. She had done a fairground for the cover of the Architectural Review (1945) and that possibly led to her school Print topic. (1999, Barbara Jones: Paintings and Drawings (exhibition catalogue), Katherine House Gallery, Marlborough).
Product Details
  • Dimensions: 49.5cm x 76cm
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