The Golden Age of Railway Posters
The rapid growth of the leisure industry in the 1920s and 1930s made holidays across the UK and Ireland increasingly popular. Railway companies and tourist offices enlisted leading artists of the time to promote destinations in visually striking and engaging ways.
From 1924, the London Midland & Scottish Railway commissioned a series of posters advertising Ireland, many of which came to be regarded as iconic images of this unspoilt countryside. The posters evoke a strong sense of Irish identity, culture and romantic idealism and were typically displayed in travel agencies and on billboards at station entrances and platforms, effectively turning public spaces into open-air art galleries.
At the same time, Ireland’s largest railway company, Great Southern Railways, was quick to embrace this effective form of advertising, commissioning high-quality posters throughout the 1920s. Its principal artist, Walter Till, created works featuring well-known tourist destinations such as Glendalough, Killarney, Connemara, and Killiney in County Dublin.
New poster designs were eagerly awaited, with celebrated artists including Norman Wilkinson and Paul Henry producing highly sought-after images. Their work often depicted unspoilt landscapes, dramatic skylines, and Ireland’s lakes and coastlines
Previously shown at the Stormy Cup Café in Donaghadee, this viewing exhibition in our Connaught Street location presents one of the finest known collections of Irish travel posters, offering a rare opportunity to experience these evocative works together ahead of their inclusion in our Travel & Vintage Posters auction on 29 April.
No appointment is required and all are welcome.
