History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. ~Winston Churchill

21 April, 2011

Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens, for those who don't know it, is formally the Royal Botantic Gardens, Kew, in Southwest London. It is a vast expanse of gardens and trees and greenhouses (many of them Victorian) conserving and sharing plants from all over the world-- rather like a plant zoo, really. It's an absolutely magnificent place, elegant and astonishing and great fun. When I was there on a sunny Saturday this February it was full of children and photographers. I'd reccomend it to anyone visiting London (their website here!)

In the 20s and 30s they evidently thought it was the cat's meow too, and London Transport put out loads of utterly gorgeous posters promoting it (it is easily accessible by Tube). The natural aspect leant itself so well to bold graphic design, even abstraction, and oh, aren't they swell? 

From the collections of the London Transport Museum (and, again, I do apologize if the links have changed; their site tends to do that! Searching 'Kew Gardens' in the poster section will lead to all of them if necessary). 



The Palm House, one of Kew's beautiful Victorian greenhouses full of tropical trees. 1926. Source


Bluebell time (about now, I believe). 1931. Source


Daffodil Time. 1923 Source


1924. Source



1933. Source



Sadly it costs a bit more than that these days. 1937 Source



1939. Source

1 comment:

hbk said...

Very colourful posters. Very nice. It makes me wish I had a poster like that (or that I could take a trip to kew gardens!)

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