EDWARD MCKNIGHT KAUFFER (1890-1954) POWER / THE NERVE CENTRE OF LONDON'S UNDERGROUND. 1931. 39x24 1/4 inches, 99x61 1/2 cm. Vincent Brooks, Day & Son, Ltd., London. Condition B: rippling, creasing, bubbling and discoloration in image; minor restoration at edges and in image; blue pencil-enhanced color; mounted to thick paper. This is one of Kauffer's undisputed masterpieces, a powerful and commanding Machine Age image and one of the best designed during the artist's Art Deco period. "The extraordinary power of the factory and its turbines is transmitted not by sheer force of electricity but by the muscular arm and hand of the worker. [The poster's text] is realized in the fine blue veins that run through the worker's arm and into the spinning steel of the turbine, which simultaneously represents the wheels of the subway trains with the Underground logo in the center . . . Kauffer visually portrays the symbiosis of humans and machines, touting the machine for its extraordinary powers yet keeping alive its connection to humankind" (Mechanical Age p. 119). Although dated 1930, the poster was not released until 1931. Kauffer p. 63, Word & Image p. 77, Modern Poster 167, Crouse p. 266, Affiches Art Deco p. 161, Euro Deco p. 465, Art Deco Graphics p. 78, Art for All 9, London Transport p. 39, Mechanical Age p. 119, Berman / Juan March p. 225.
