Lot 88
JAMES 'LESLIE' GARDNER O.B.E., R.D.I. (BRITISH 1907-1995) FOR ASCHER
FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN SCARF, 1951
Auction: MODERN MADE | Lots 1 - 422 | Fri 01 May at 10am
Description
with Asher / 100% Pure Silk / Made in England label (lower right), silk
Dimensions
92cm high, 87.5cm wide (36 ¼in x 34 3/8in)
Footnote
James “Leslie” Gardner was a British designer whose work helped shape the visual language of mid-twentieth-century Britain. Trained at the Westminster School of Art, Gardner began his career in commercial design and illustration before establishing a reputation as one of the leading exhibition designers of the post-war period. His early commissions included advertising and poster work for clients such as Shell, where he collaborated with art director Jack Beddington, developing a clear and engaging graphic style that would later inform his exhibition and public design work.
Gardner’s contribution to Britain’s cultural identity became particularly visible in the years following the Second World War. He played an important role in the landmark Festival of Britain in 1951, designing elements of the People of Britain exhibition and contributing to the visual atmosphere of the South Bank site and the Battersea Pleasure Gardens.
Alongside his exhibition work, Gardner also produced graphic designs for commercial and commemorative objects associated with the Festival. Among these were designs for Ascher silk scarves, produced by the celebrated textile house known for commissioning leading artists and designers of the period. Gardner’s Festival-related scarf reflects the spirit of the event - combining modern graphic clarity with lively colour and pattern - capturing the optimism and forward-looking aesthetic that characterised Britain’s cultural revival in the early 1950s.