ADOLPHE MOURON CASSANDRE (1901-1968) THE CONTINENT VIA HARWICH. 1928.
39x24 1/2 inches, 99x62 cm. Haycock, Cadel & Graham Ltd., London.
Condition B+: repaired tears and restoration in margins and corners, some slightly affecting image; overpainting in bottom margin; bottom margin trimmed.
Another one of Cassandre's key images in which he plays with perspective. Much like the Nord Express in reverse, this image begins at the lower left, with the parallel dark forms of the engine and the ship emerging into the image. Too large to fit within the confines of the poster, only one of the ship's funnels is fully visible; the smoke which rises from it to fill the bright blue sky is accomplished using intricate airbrush work. In addition to ingeniously incorporating both modes of transportation into the design, Cassandre also alludes to the "day and night service" via the darkness at the bottom and brightness at the top of the image. It is a geometrical masterpiece and the only one he designed depicting both train and boat. This is the rare English version of the poster printed for the LNER Railroad. Mouron pl. 14 (var), Brown & Reinhold 16 (var), Cassandre / Suntory 70-A p. 94.