Biography Enquire about this picture£1,600


Presentation: Framed
Gouache on paper
Signed with initials
17 1/2 x 17 in. (44.5 x 43.2 cm.)

In a gessoed revesrse section stepped frame the middle flat painted black

The circus was a theme that Austin was often drawn to.  The Circus came once a year and set up on the shingle foreshore outside the artist's studio at Burnham Overy Staithe. The combination of animals and performers always fascinated him.This is likely to date early in his oeuvre.

Biography Enquire about this picture£800


Presentation: Passe-partout
Charcoal on brown paper
signed with studio stamp
9 1/2 x 10 5/8 in. (24 x 27 cm).

Provenance: Rachel and Clare Austin

Figures resting or sleeping are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.

Austin won the Rome Scholarship for engraving in 1923 and spent 3 remarkable years in Rome before teaching engraving at the Royal College of Art, 1927-44, becoming Professor in the Department of Graphic Design, 1948-55.  Austin was a meticulous craftsman-engraver and a vigorous draughtsman, as his series of drawings of Women's Auxiliary Air Force and ballooning activities done during World War II shows. The Tate Gallery holds his work.

The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, organised an exhibition of his work in 1980.

More recently he was the subject of two shows at the Fine Art Society plc (2001 and 2002), the latter organised in conjunction with Liss Fine Art Ltd, and a show at The Royal Academy of Arts in 2009; (he was elected a Royal Academician in 1949).

Biography Enquire about this picture£900


Presentation: Framed
Signed with initials and inscribed 26th November 1947
pencil on pink washed paper
In a black reeded outer frame with broad gilded slip

22 1/4 x 15 3/8 in. (56.6. x 39 cm).

Exhibited: Robert Austin, The Fine Art Society, 2002, no 49.
Literature: Robert Austin, The Fine Art Society, 2002, illustrated p 33.

Biography Enquire about this picture£950


Presentation: Framed
Drypoint
Copper plate: 4 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. (12 x 14.8 cm). (cancelled)
Print: 8 1/4 x 9 in. (21 x 23 cm).
A limited edition has been printed posthumously on ARCHES 250 g/m² paper

Biography Enquire about this picture£900


Presentation: Framed
Etching and line engraving
Copper plate: 5 3/4 x 4 5/8 in. (14.5 x 11.8 cm).
Print: 9 1/4 x 7 7/8 in. (23.5 x 20 cm).
A limited edition has been printed posthumously on ARCHES 250 g/m² paper

Biography Enquire about this picture£950


Presentation: Framed
Line engraving
Original copper plate: 5 3/4 x 4 1/2 in. (14.6 x 11.5 cm). (cancelled)

A limited edition of 5 prints, taken from the cancelled plate, have been printed posthumously by David Maes on Arches paper (250 g/m²), (print size 23.5 x 18.5 cm - price per print £100).

Provenance: The Artists Family Literature: Campbell Dodgson, Robert Austin, Twenty-One Gallery, 1930; Gordon Cooke, Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, London, The Fine Art Society, 2001

Robert Austin's original etching plates were rediscovered in 2007. They represents all aspects of the artists oeuvre, from his first engraving (The Bridge, 1913 ) to his his last (Frost in May 1971). Although, as was common practise amongst print makers, Austin cancelled his plates after their edition run, the manner in which he did this is remarkable. Far from defacing the compositions by scratching lines across the centre, or drilling holes in the plates, Austin drew precise lines of different proportions, dissecting each composition, responding individually to each image. As such the geometry of each composition appears heightened, and the plates take on a abstract beauty of their own.

It is generally acknowledged that Austin was one of the greatest exponents of line engraving of the Twentieth century. Campbell Dodgson, keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, who compiled the standard reference work on Austins' work, compared his work to that of Durer noting that Austin had 'more than a touch of that master in him' (Robert Austin, Twenty-One, 1930 Gallery).

Austin's period of greatest acclaim was during the etching boom of the 1920s (which ended abruptly with the Wall Street Crash). Later works however, (for instance Girl by a gate,1930 and Empty Church, Concarneau, 1949,) demonstrate that Austin was still at the height of his powers long after his period of greatest acclaim.

Biography Enquire about this picture£700


Presentation: Unmounted
Line engraving
Copper plate: 7 x 6 in. (17.8 x 15.4 cm).
Print: 10 5/8 x 9 1/4 in. (27 x 23.5 cm).
A limited edition has been printed posthumously on ARCHES 250 g/m² paper

Biography Enquire about this picture£1,300


Presentation: Framed
The original copperplate etching plate, (cancelled): 5 7/8 x 4 3/4 in. (15 x 12 cm).

A limited edition of 5 prints, taken from the cancelled plate, have been printed posthumously by David Maes using ARCHES 250 g/m² paper, (print size 25 x 20 cm. - price per print £100).


Provenance: The Artists Family Literature: Campbell Dodgson, Robert Austin, Twenty-One Gallery, 1930; Gordon Cooke, Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, London, The Fine Art Society, 2001

Robert Austin's original etching plates were rediscovered in 2007. They represents all aspects of the artists oeuvre, from his first engraving (The Bridge, 1913 ) to his his last (Frost in May 1971). Although, as was common practise amongst print makers, Austin cancelled his plates after their edition run, the manner in which he did this is remarkable. Far from defacing the compositions by scratching lines across the centre, or drilling holes in the plates, Austin drew precise lines of different proportions, dissecting each composition, responding individually to each image. As such the geometry of each composition appears heightened, and the plates take on a abstract beauty of their own.

It is generally acknowledged that Austin was one of the greatest exponents of line engraving of the Twentieth century. Campbell Dodgson, keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, who compiled the standard reference work on Austins' work, compared his work to that of Durer noting that Austin had 'more than a touch of that master in him' (Robert Austin, Twenty-One, 1930 Gallery).

Austin's period of greatest acclaim was during the etching boom of the 1920s (which ended abruptly with the Wall Street Crash). Later works however, (for instance Girl by a gate,1930 and Empty Church, Concarneau, 1949,) demonstrate that Austin was still at the height of his powers long after his period of greatest acclaim.

Biography Enquire about this picture£850


Presentation: Framed
Line engraving
Original copper plate: 7 7/8 x 5 in. (20 x 12.5 cm). (cancelled)

A limited edition of 5 prints have been printed posthumously by David Maes on Arches paper (250 g/m²), (print size  28.5 x 20.5 cm - price per print £100).

Provenance: The Artists Family Literature: Campbell Dodgson, Robert Austin, Twenty-One Gallery, 1930; Gordon Cooke, Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, London, The Fine Art Society, 2001


Robert Austin's original etching plates were rediscovered in 2007. They represents all aspects of the artists oeuvre, from his first engraving (The Bridge, 1913 ) to his his last (Frost in May 1971). Although, as was common practise amongst print makers, Austin cancelled his plates after their edition run, the manner in which he did this is remarkable. Far from defacing the compositions by scratching lines across the centre, or drilling holes in the plates, Austin drew precise lines of different proportions, dissecting each composition, responding individually to each image. As such the geometry of each composition appears heightened, and the plates take on a abstract beauty of their own.

It is generally acknowledged that Austin was one of the greatest exponents of line engraving of the Twentieth century. Campbell Dodgson, keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, who compiled the standard reference work on Austins' work, compared his work to that of Durer noting that Austin had 'more than a touch of that master in him' (Robert Austin, Twenty-One, 1930 Gallery).

Austin's period of greatest acclaim was during the etching boom of the 1920s (which ended abruptly with the Wall Street Crash). Later works however, (for instance Girl by a gate,1930 and Empty Church, Concarneau, 1949,) demonstrate that Austin was still at the height of his powers long after his period of greatest acclaim.

Biography Enquire about this picture£600


Presentation: Framed

Line engraving
Original copper plate: 5 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. (13.3 x 8.2 cm). (cancelled)

A limited edition of 5 prints has been printed posthumously by David Maes on Arches paper (250 g/m²), (print size 22 x 16 cm - price per print £50).

Provenance: The Artists Family Literature: Campbell Dodgson, Robert Austin, Twenty-One Gallery, 1930; Gordon Cooke, Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, London, The Fine Art Society, 2001

Austin received various official commissions including the design of bank notes and Ex Libris plates for the Priminsters Library.

Robert Austin's original etching plates were rediscovered in 2007. They represents all aspects of the artists oeuvre, from his first engraving (The Bridge, 1913 ) to his his last (Frost in May 1971). Although, as was common practise amongst print makers, Austin cancelled his plates after their edition run, the manner in which he did this is remarkable. Far from defacing the compositions by scratching lines across the centre, or drilling holes in the plates, Austin drew precise lines of different proportions, dissecting each composition, responding individually to each image. As such the geometry of each composition appears heightened, and the plates take on a abstract beauty of their own.

It is generally acknowledged that Austin was one of the greatest exponents of line engraving of the Twentieth century. Campbell Dodgson, keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, who compiled the standard reference work on Austins' work, compared his work to that of Durer noting that Austin had 'more than a touch of that master in him' (Robert Austin, Twenty-One, 1930 Gallery).

Austin's period of greatest acclaim was during the etching boom of the 1920s (which ended abruptly with the Wall Street Crash). Later works however, (for instance Girl by a gate,1930 and Empty Church, Concarneau, 1949,) demonstrate that Austin was still at the height of his powers long after his period of greatest acclaim.

Biography Enquire about this picture£1,200


Presentation: Framed
The original copper plate: 9 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. (24.8 x 19.7 cm), engraved and cancelled by Robert Sargent Austin.

Provenance: the artist’s family
Literature: Campbell Dodgson, Robert Austin, exh. cat.,Twenty-One Gallery, London, 1930; Gordon Cooke, Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, exh. cat.,The Fine Art Society, London, 2001

Presented in a shadow box frame

Austin was one of the greatest exponents of  line engraving and etching. Campbell Dodgson, Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, who compiled the standard reference work on Austin, compared him to Albrecht Dürer, noting that Austin had ‘more than a touch of that master in him’ (Dodgson, Robert Austin, exh. cat.,Twenty-One Gallery, London, 1930).

A limited edition of 5 line engravings have been printed posthumously on ARCHES 250 g/m² paper, plate size: 31.5 x 25 cm, costing £120.00 each

We are grateful to Rachel and Clare Austin, Gordon Cooke and David Maes for assistance.

Biography Enquire about this picture£450


Presentation: Unframed
The original copper etching plate, (cancelled):  13 3/4 x 10 3/4 in. (35 x 27.5 cm).

A limited edition of 5 prints, taken from the cancelled plate, have been printed posthumously by David Maes on GUARRO Superalfa 250 g/m² paper, (print size 47 x 38 cm. - price per print £50).

Provenance: The Artists Family Literature: Campbell Dodgson, Robert Austin, Twenty-One Gallery, 1930; Gordon Cooke, Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, London, The Fine Art Society, 2001

Robert Austin's original etching plates were rediscovered in 2007. They represents all aspects of the artists oeuvre, from his first engraving (The Bridge, 1913 ) to his his last (Frost in May 1971). Although, as was common practise amongst print makers, Austin cancelled his plates after their edition run, the manner in which he did this is remarkable. Far from defacing the compositions by scratching lines across the centre, or drilling holes in the plates, Austin drew precise lines of different proportions, dissecting each composition, responding individually to each image. As such the geometry of each composition appears heightened, and the plates take on a abstract beauty of their own.

It is generally acknowledged that Austin was one of the greatest exponents of line engraving of the Twentieth century. Campbell Dodgson, keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, who compiled the standard reference work on Austins' work, compared his work to that of Durer noting that Austin had 'more than a touch of that master in him' (Robert Austin, Twenty-One, 1930 Gallery).

Austin's period of greatest acclaim was during the etching boom of the 1920s (which ended abruptly with the Wall Street Crash). Later works however, (for instance Girl by a gate,1930 and Empty Church, Concarneau, 1949,) demonstrate that Austin was still at the height of his powers long after this period.

Biography Enquire about this picture£2,800


Presentation: Framed
Charcoal
Inscribed AUSTIN, lower centre, and Empty Cot and Bed April 9 1934
15 1/4 x 20 5/8 in. (38.5 x 52.5 cm).

In a polish mahogany frame wedge shaped frame

Exhibited: The Fine Art Society, Robert Austin prints and drawings, 2000

Figures resting or sleeping are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.  Drapery was a subject that he was particularly drawn to.

Biography Enquire about this picture£2,800


Presentation: Framed
Signed with studio stamp
Watercolour

18 x 13 in. (46 x 33 cm.)

Provenance: The Artists Daughters
Exhibited: Robert Austin, The Fine Art Society, 2002, no 23
Literature: Robert Austin, Paul Liss, 2002, p. 14; illustrated p. 14

In a narrow wooden frame with hand washed mount.

Figures resting or sleeping are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.  Drapery was a subject that he was particularly drawn to.

Prints and Drawings by Robert Austin RA (1895-1973) will be the subject of a forthcoming exhibition at the ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS in London, (to be held in the Tennant Room from 29 May – 25 October 2009).

Biography Enquire about this picture£1,750


Presentation: Framed
Signed,  inscribed with title and dated, (twice)
Pencil and watercolour
11 x 14 in.  (28 x 35.5 cm.)

Provenance: Clare Austin, the Artist's Daughters

In a narrow gilded frame with hand washed mount

Figures resting or sleeping are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.  Drapery was a subject that he was particularly drawn to.

Prints and Drawings by Robert Austin RA (1895-1973) will be the subject of a forthcoming exhibition at the ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS in London, (to be held in the Tennant Room from 29 May – 25 October 2009).

Biography Enquire about this picture£650


Presentation: Mounted
Signed,
Watercolour over pencil
22 1/2 x 15 1/2; (57 x 39 cm).

Provenance: acquired directly from the artists daughters

Figures resting are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.  Drapery was a subject that he was particularly drawn to.

Prints and Drawings by Robert Austin RA (1895-1973) will be the subject of a forthcoming exhibition at the ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS in London, (to be held in the Tennant Room from 29 May – 25 October 2009).

Biography Enquire about this picture£550


Presentation: Mounted
Signed and dated in pencil
Wash
11 7/8 x 10 5/8 in. (30 x 27 cm.)

Provenance: The Artists Daughters
Exhibited: Robert Austin, The Fine Art Society, 2002, no 28
Literature: Robert Austin, Paul Liss, 2002, p. 14; illustrated p. 20

Figures resting or sleeping are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.  Drapery was a subject that he was particularly drawn to.

Biography Enquire about this picture£950


Presentation: Mounted
Signed with initials, pencil on pink paper
18 x 22 1/4 in. (46 x 56.5 cm.)

Provenance: The Artists Daughters
Exhibited: Robert Austin, The Fine Art Society, 2002, no 65
Literature: Robert Austin, Paul Liss, 2002, p. 40; illustrated p. 43

This composition is set in Austins studio, The Chapel at Burnham Overy Staithe, which consisted of a large light-filled rooms, either facing green meadows or out to sea.  Austin chose a huge, white, north-facing room, overlooking the sand dunes to Scolt Head, to be his studio.  It was here that all his work was carried out.

Biography Enquire about this picture£800


Presentation: Framed
Signed and dated
Pencil; 23 × 18 in. (58.3 × 45.6 cm) sight
Provenance:Artist’s daughters.

In a polished fruit wood frame.

During the war Austin made drawings ofWoolwich Arsenal, Fighter Pilots and nurses at work, as well as posters for the London Underground.This drawing depicts a bomb trolley, which would have been pulled behind a tractor from the bomb dump to the aircraft.The bomb was then loaded into the aircraft’s bomb carrier , from which it was eventually dropped.

Biography Enquire about this picture£100


Presentation: Mounted
Pencil
Inscribed March 68
15 3/4 x 17 3/4 in. (40 x 45 cm).

Biography Enquire about this picture£900


Presentation: Mounted
Pencil with highlights in red chalk
Signed and dated in pencil, signed with initials (studio stamp)
22 1/2 x 17 1/4 in. (57 x 44 cm).

Provenance: The Artists Daughters
Exhibited: Robert Austin, The Fine Art Society, 2002, no 66
Literature: Robert Austin, Paul Liss, 2002, p. 40; illustrated p. 43

This composition is set in Austins studio, The Chapel at Burnham Overy Staithe, which consisted of a large light-filled rooms, either facing green meadows or out to sea.  Austin chose a huge, white, north-facing room, overlooking the sand dunes to Scolt Head, to be his studio.  It was here that all his work was carried out.

Biography Enquire about this picture£700


Presentation: Mounted
Pencil
Inscribed with title
11 7/16 x 17 3/4 in. (29 x 45 cm.)

Rob, the artist's son, was born in 1927. 

Biography Enquire about this picture£1,200


Presentation: Unmounted
Line engraving
Original copper plate: 6 5/8 x 4 3/4 in. (16,9 x 12 cm.) (cancelled)
Print: 10 1/4 x 8 in. (26 x 20 cm.)
A small edition has been printed posthumously by David Maes on Arches paper (250g/m²), (print size 26 x 20 cm - price per print £150)

To be included in the forthcoming exhibition  Robert Austin RA (1895-1973) at the ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS in London, (to be held in the Tennant Room from 29 May – 25 October 2009).

Biography Enquire about this pictureTo be included in a
forthcoming exhibition


Presentation: Framed
Copper and zinc plates, engraved and cancelled by Robert Sargent Austin
Provenance: the artist’s family
Literature: Campbell Dodgson, Robert Austin, exh. cat.,Twenty-One Gallery, London, 1930; Gordon Cooke, Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, exh. cat.,The Fine Art Society, London, 2001

This large collection represents the vast majority of surviving plates by Austin and includes examples of all aspects of the artist’s oeuvre, from his first engraving (The Bridge 1913) to his last (Frost in May 1971). Works from Austin’s mid- and late career, such as Girl by a Gate 1938 (illustrated following, with detail), and Empty Church, Concarneau 1949 (opposite), demonstrate that he was still at the height of his powers long after his period of greatest acclaim during the etching boom of the 1920s, which ended abruptly with the Wall Street Crash.

The collection also includes examples of the line engravings of which Austin was one of the greatest exponents of his century, including The Flight Into Egypt 1925 from his period as Rome Scholar (1922–5), when he first began to use line engraving, and Bellringer’s Wife 1934 (following). Campbell Dodgson, Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, who compiled the standard reference work on Austin, compared him to Albrecht Dürer, noting that Austin had ‘more than a touch of that master in him’ (Dodgson, Robert Austin, exh. cat.,Twenty-One Gallery, London, 1930).

The plates have been restored and posthumously printed by David Maes.

A full list of plates in the collection is available on request. The collection is for sale to a public institution only.

We are grateful to Rachel and Clare Austin, Gordon Cooke and David Maes for assistance.

Biography Enquire about this pictureTo be included in a
forthcoming exhibition


Presentation: Framed
The original opper plate: 9 x 6 7/8 in. (22.7 x 17.5 cm).
Engraved and cancelled by Robert Sargent Austin
Provenance: the artist’s family
Literature: Campbell Dodgson, Robert Austin, exh. cat.,Twenty-One Gallery, London, 1930; Gordon Cooke, Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, exh. cat.,The Fine Art Society, London, 2001

Presented in a shadow box frame

Austin was one of the greatest exponents of  line engraving and etching. Campbell Dodgson, Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, who compiled the standard reference work on Austin, compared him to Albrecht Dürer, noting that Austin had ‘more than a touch of that master in him’ (Dodgson, Robert Austin, exh. cat.,Twenty-One Gallery, London, 1930).

A limited edition of 5 line engravings have been printed posthumously on ARCHES 250 g/m² paper, plate size: 31.5 x 25 cm, costing £120.00 each

We are grateful to Rachel and Clare Austin, Gordon Cooke and David Maes for assistance.

Biography Sold


Presentation: Framed
Black chalk and watercolour on paper, 22W X 17E ins. (55.9 X 45.1 cms.)
Provenance: the artist's daughter, Claire
Literature: Paul Liss, Robert Austin, The Fine Art Society, 2002, p. 40

Amongst the subjects that Austin was most naturally drawn to were his two daughters. In his studio at Burnham Overy Staithe, a huge North-facing room with high ceilings, they often served as models. Austin fixed a trapeze in the studio for their amusement.

Biography Sold


Presentation: Framed
Signed and dated in pencil
Red chalk with black chalk highlights, sight size 7⅞ × 5½ in. (20 × 14 cm.)
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist’s son
Literature: Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin, exh. cat.,The Fine Art Society, London, 2001 (no. 12), p. 23 (similar portrait repr.)

Austin and Woodford were brothers-in-law. Both were 1922 Rome Scholars (in Engraving and Sculpture respectively), along with Monnington, who was the 1922 Scholar in Decorative Painting. Austin’s portrait of Woodford was undertaken during 1926, their last year at the British School at Rome. A related, though slightly later, portrait of Woodford was included in The Fine Art Society exhibition Drawings and Prints by Robert Austin in 2001 (no. 12).

Biography Sold


Presentation: Unmounted
Stamped with studio stamp
Watercolour, signed with studio stamp
15 x 10 1/2 in. (38 x 27 cm).
Provenance: Rachel Austin
Exhibited: Fine Art Society, October, 2002

Austin moved to Lingard House, Chiswick Mall, in 1931. Apart from visits to his Norforlk holiday house, he lived at Lingard House for the rest of his life.

Figures resting or sleeping are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.  Drapery was a subject that he was particularly drawn to.

Prints and Drawings by Robert Austin RA (1895-1973) will be the subject of a forthcoming exhibition at the ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS in London, (to be held in the Tennant Room from 29 May – 25 October 2009).

Biography Sold


Presentation: Framed
Stamped, incribed with title and dated
Black chalk on light pink tinted paper
17 3/4 x 22 1/16 in. (45 x 56 cm).

Provenance: Clare Austin, the artist's daughter
Exhibited: exh: Fine Art Society, October, 2002, no. 31, p 23, (reproduced)
Literature: Paul Liss, Robert Austin, The Fine Art Society 2002, p. 40; Liss Fine Art 2005, cat. no 92

In a gessoed white stepped Gluck frame.

Amongst the subjects that Austin was most naturally drawn to were his two daughters.  In his studio at Burnham Overy Staithe, a huge North-facing room with high ceilings, they often served as models.

Biography Sold


Presentation: Framed
Signed
Watercolour over charcoal on light brown paper
15 3/8 x 10 5/8 in. (39 x 27 cm).

Figures resting or sleeping are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.  Drapery was a subject that he was particularly drawn to.

Biography Sold


Presentation: Unmounted

Biography Sold


Presentation: Unmounted
Signed and dated
15 x 18 7/8 in. (38 x 48 cm.)

Provenance: acquired directly from the artists daughters

Figures resting or sleeping are amongst the subjects that Austin drew consistently.  In the domestic family routine which formed the backdrop to his work Austin found an endless source of inspiration.  Drapery was a subject that he was particularly drawn to.

Biography Sold


Presentation: Unmounted
Signed and dated 1938
Charcoal with highlights in watercolour
22 1/2 x 17 3/4 ins (57 x 45 cm).

Provenance: acquired directly from the artists daughters.

Prints and Drawings by Robert Austin RA (1895-1973) will be the subject of a forthcoming exhibition at the ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS in London, (to be held in the Tennant Room from 29 May – 25 October 2009).

Biography Sold


Presentation: Unmounted
Signed and dated in the plate; inscribed ‘printed for the passengers and staff of London Transport to recall other occasions of the Nation’s will and high purpose’
Original lithograph, printed by the Baynard Press
25-1/4 × 20 in. (64. 2 × 50.8 cm)
Provenance:Artist’s daughter.

This rare lithographic proof comes directly from the artist’s family. The London Transport Museum has the same poster in its collection, together with versions of the design in a number of earlier states.

The Underground Group (later London Transport) produced a wide variety of posters during the First and Second World Wars.There was, however, a marked difference between the propaganda element of the posters in both wars: the posters published in the GreatWar presented the conflict as an idealised struggle and urged men to enlist, whereas the posters of the Second World War stressed the individual’s role in helping the war effort at home and also aspired to lift the nation’s spirits.

Many London Transport posters were issued as a series, for maximum impact. Robert Sargent Austin was commissioned to produce the Our  Heritage Series, depicting heroic British Leaders, such as Nelson,Drake, Pitt and finally Churchill.The aim of these posters was to boost the morale within the travelling public by reminding them what the nation was fighting for.