PATRICK COKAYNE KEELY (?-1970) GEARWHEELS CATCH CLOTHES / KEEP YOUR GUARD ON. 1941. 30x20 inches, 76 1/4x50 3/4 cm. Loxley Bros. Ltd., [London.] Condition B / B+: staining, losses and pin holes in corners; tape on verso along tears in lower left edge; tears and abrasions at edges; creases in image. Paper. Keely was one of the most talented poster designers of his era. He began working in the mid-1920s and designed some exceptional modernist images for the Southern Railway. He adapted a more illustrative, almost Surrealist style for the London Underground and a minimalist, constructive approach with his posters for the GPO (which shared a similar, geometric approach to Lee-Elliott's work. During the war, he created some exceptional photomontages. Curiously, after the war he focused his efforts on designing postage stamps, which he accomplished in a very conservative style. The direct, morbid nature of this image makes it a highly-effective workplace safety notice.
