Skip to content
AntikBarAntikBar

In the Spotlight: Fougasse (Cyril Kenneth Bird)

AntikBar's latest blog post

PW0207_1_m  PW0208_1_m

The notable British cartoonist and poster designer, Fougasse, is most well known for the propaganda posters he produced during World War Two, in particular, his “Careless Talk Costs Lives” public information posters.

PP0334_1_m  PP0333_1_m

Born in 1887, Cyril Kenneth Bird was educated in London and joined the Royal Engineers after obtaining a BSc in Civil Engineering at Kings College London in 1908, during which time he also attended evening art classes. In 1914 he married the watercolour artist, Mary Holden Caldwell. He reached the rank of Lieutenant in World War One but sustained serious back injuries at Gallipoli in 1915 and was subsequently invalided out of the British Army. Unable to walk for three years, he continued his art classes while recuperating and began contributing cartoons to Punch, Tatler and other British journals, magazines and books. As the signature Bird was already being used by another artist, his sharp wit resulted in his adoption of the name Fougasse, a type of unpredictable mine “that might or might not hit the mark.”

PW0213_1_m  PW0215_1_m

Fougasse’s popularity grew during the 1920s and 1930s. His distinctive style earned him commissions to design posters for the London Underground and London Transport from 1925-1944 and, from 1937-1949, he was the Art Editor of Punch. During World War Two, he volunteered his time to the Ministry of Information to produce propaganda posters, believing that humour could effectively deliver their messages to the public. For his unpaid artistic contributions to the government and charities, he was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1946. He taught Sunday School at Sloane Square Church during the 1950s and continued to work as an illustrator until his retirement in 1953. Fougasse – Cyril Kenneth Bird – died in London in 1965, aged 77.

PW0216_1_m  Here are a few of our original vintage posters by Fougasse (click on the images for more information and visit our website at www.AntikBar.co.uk to browse our current stock):

PW0205_1_m  PW0209_1_m

PW0206_1_m  PW0164_1_m

PW0175_1_m  PW0204_1_m

PW0210_1_m  PW0218_1_m

PW0219_1_m  PW0214_1_m

PW0212_1_m  PW0211_1_m

PW0220_1_m  PW0217_1_m

Visit our website at www.antikbar.co.uk to browse all our original vintage posters, including more war and propaganda posters from around the world. For more updates, follow us on:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AntikBar
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AntikBar
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AntikBar.co.uk 
WordPress: https://antikbarposters.wordpress.com/  

AntikBar is a Member of the International Vintage Poster Dealers’ Association (IVPDA), the London Art Deco Society (LADS) and The Association of Art and Antiques Dealers (LAPADA).

__

Cart

Your cart is currently empty.

Start Shopping

Select options