Rosemary Ellis

Rosemary Ellis née Collinson (1910–1998) was a British artist, graphic designer and teacher known for her poster and book jacket designs.

Rosemary Ellis
Born
Rosemary Collinson

1910
London
Died1998 (aged 87–88)
NationalityBritish
Alma materRegent Street Polytechnic
Known forPainting, graphic design
Spouse(s)Clifford Ellis, m.1931–1985, his death

Biography

Ellis was born in London and from 1927 to 1931 attended the art school of the Regent Street Polytechnic in central London.[1] At art school she met her husband, Clifford Ellis, the couple married in 1931 and would frequently collaborate on art projects together.[1][2] During the 1930s they produced more than twenty posters for London Transport, often using surrealist motifs, such as in the 1937 poster Travels in time on your doorstep.[3] They also designed posters for the General Post Office, BP, the Empire Marketing Board plus a series of 16 lithographs for J. Lyons & Co. restaurants.[4] Starting in 1934 they designed the 'Professions' series of posters for Shell-Mex including, for example, Anglers Prefer Shell.[2][5] They also worked together on book jackets, murals and mosaics, signing their work with the monogram C&RE to reflect their joint and equal involvement.[6][3]

From 1938 onwards, Rosemary Ellis taught art at the Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army in Bath while Clifford Ellis held a succession of posts at the Bath Academy of Art, where Rosemary would also teach a variety of subjects.[1] During World War Two, Rosemary worked for the Recording Britain project, depicting architectural scenes in Bath.[2] In 1946 the Ellises designed the entrance and a mural to the Britain Can Make It exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[1] Between 1945 and 1982 they designed a total of 86 covers and dust jackets for the New Naturalist series of books and monographs published by Collins.[5]

The British Museum, the London Transport Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum hold examples of Ellis's designs.[7][8] The Victoria Art Gallery and Bath Record Office hold archives of the Ellises papers and designs.[9]

References
  1. David Buckman (2006). Artists in Britain Since 1945 Vol 1, A to L. Art Dictionaries Ltd. ISBN 0 953260 95 X.
  2. "Votes for Women - Rosemary Ellis". National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  3. David Bownes (2018). Poster Girls. london transport museum. ISBN 978 1 871829 28 0.
  4. Gill Saunders (Editor) (2011). Recording Britain. V&A Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85177-661-0.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  5. Alan Horne (1994). The Dictionary of 20th Century British Book Illustrators. Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 1 85149 1082.
  6. Martin Salisbury (2017). The Illustrated Dust Jacket. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 9780500519134.
  7. "Rosemary Ellis". The British Museum. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  8. "Search the Collection: Rosemary Ellis". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  9. Tim Bernhard (2018). "Clifford and Rosemary Ellis Iconic Nature and Travel Designers". The New Naturalist Online. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
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