Charles Paine: Commercial Art and Design legacy at Blackheath School of Art

I have been meaning to write something about Charles Paine and his time at the Blackheath School of Art for some time now. Many of his works were auctioned by Bamfords in 2015, including original sketches, paintings and posters. In amongst these also were his archives, started by Paine by also added to by his family. I have been privileged enough to be able to look through these. My sincere thanks go to Adrian at Darnley Fine Art for allowing me to read through this fascinating collection.

Charles Paine was born on 23 October, 1895 in Pendleton, Salford. He began his studies at Salford School of Art[1] and continued further studies at Manchester School of Art.[2] I won’t continue to write about his life other than his time at the Blackheath School of Art as the excellent Charles Paine blog has covered his life in far more detail than I could ever be capable of. You can read more about it here (it is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in Paine or the history of design in Britain).

Paine’s connection with the Blackheath School of Art began in 1929; two years before he started teaching Design at BSA his works were displayed as a part of the Modern Posters exhibition. This provides evidence of the friendship between Paine and Platt, a subject which will be discussed in further detail later. The works exhibited by Paine (most likely Underground designs given references to the subject matter of some of the other posters) ‘show[ed] a delightful playful fancy and charming colour. There is something essentially English in his gay little figures and flowers’.[3]

Charles Paine, Barnet by Tram, 1922, Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of London Underground Railway, 1924 1023.
Source - Art Institute of Chicago

Charles Paine, Kingston by Tram, 1920, Art Institute of Chicago, RX21447/226.
Source: Art Institute of Chicago

Charles Paine, Hampton Court, 1921, Art Institute of Chicago, RX21447/228.
Source: Art Institute of Chicago 

Charles Paine started at BSA in September 1931 and his appointment at the school was lauded by the Blackheath Local Guide on 19 September 1931. There was genuine excitement that a teacher of such repute had been employed by the school as he was described as ‘one of the most distinguished of the poster designers of to-day’ and that his ‘posters are among the most striking and beautiful being produced…’[4] As was the tradition for new teachers the school held an exhibition of his works from 21 to 26 September.[5] This took place in the school’s library and featured many well-known works by Paine including his Sundour series, works for Shell, a number of his London Transport pictures including those for Barnet, the London Zoo, Kingston, the iconic Changing of the Guard and Hampton Court and works executed for the Empire Marketing Board.[6] The short article in the Blackheath Local Guide, which acts as a review of the display, the author concluded by stating that they looked forward to the future influence of Paine on the students’ works.[7]

At the time of Paine’s employment at BSA, John Edgar Platt was the principal having succeeded John Howard Hale in 1929. Platt and Paine had met before, in Edinburgh, where both men were employed at the Edinburgh College of Art.[8] John Platt was Head of the Department of Applied Art from 1920 to 1923 at Edinburgh and thus began a friendship which would benefit Paine in the future.[9] This connection was also later remembered by Douglas Bliss in a letter to Neil Rhind in 1981. Bliss praised Paine as an excellent teacher and designer of posters.[10]

In February 1933 Paine delivered a lecture on commercial art as a part of a series of lectures on the Victorians and After. One of the key quotes noted from Paine’s lecture was that creating advertisements and commercial works of art was ‘the gentle art of insinuation’ by ensuring the success of selling through advertising involved ‘deep psychological’ considerations. The artist was also required to get into the head of the advertisers to see what they wanted into trying to sell a product to effectively provide an image for their marketing campaigns. Summing up modern techniques Paine highlighted the effectiveness of the colours used in Japanese prints and advised that modern commercial artists would be well advised to study their simple and effective use of colour.[11] This of course was an area his employer and friend Platt was an expert in.

A few weeks after these lectures an Exhibition of Printing Crafts: Commercial and Artistic opened on 1 March 1933, and remained open for the whole of the month. Works owned by BSA were displayed alongside pieces from private collections, the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Institute of Industrial Art and Leicester College of Art.[12] The exhibition showcased the many and plentiful processes that abounded in contemporary commercial art at the time. Unfortunately the review of the exhibition contains no mention of specific art works. Underground posters were referred to and I would be surprised if Paine’s posters did not feature. Posters, book covers, and show-cards abounded as did numerous techniques of printmaking. A section on the colour woodblock and wood engraving techniques featured the stages of producing a print. In the technical part of the exhibition there was reference made to printing plates included showing the stage by stage colour printing of a complete Underground Poster – this most likely refers to a work by Paine.[13] This section of the exhibition most likely featured works from Platt’s studio which was located on the upper floor of the building and the focus on the technique of the wood engraver featuring works by Douglas Bliss who was a skilled exponent and has also written extensively on the subject.[14]

The Commercial Art students of 1933 were praised for the high standard of their work under the expert tutelage of Paine in a review of the students’ exhibition:

‘The posters would hold their own among any display of work of this kind, whilst harmonious colour and humour were not overlooked in the search for the more arresting qualities.’[15]

Students singled out for praise were Ernest Stammers, R Fenton, Richard Wakefield and R Stone. Margaret Rattray’s ‘crisp’ handling of the medium of poster paint was also proudly noted.[16]

In 1935 Paine’s students Ernest Stammers (Pictorial and Poster Design), Mary Watts (Embroidery Design) and G Downs (Poster Design) all received awards from the school.[17] Furthermore the work exhibited by the students of Commercial Art classes elicited the following praise:

‘The professional completeness of the work done in Commercial Art is remarkable’.[18]

Additionally in 1936 Meryl Watts and Roy Stone won various prizes for a competition promoted by LCC schools and the manufacturers of Viyella products, Messrs William Hollins and Co Ltd. The announcement of the awards enabled the writer to further praise the effect of Paine’s teaching:

‘In recent years the Blackheath School of Art has taken the foremost place as the centre for training in commercial art, the design classes being under the instruction of the well-known artist-designer, Mr. Charles Paine.’[19]

Charles Paine and M Wratten, The Hare, embroidered panel, 1935 (?).
Source: Blackheath Local Guide, 14 December 1935, p. 50. Current location of this panel is unknown.

Later in 1935 Paine’s work featured in the exhibition Embroidery To-Day which ran from 12 to 18 December. The Hare, designed by Paine and worked by M. Wratten, was loaned by the Embroiderer’s Guild. The exhibition featured embroidered work from across the UK.[20]

Charles Paine, Self Portrait thank you note to John Platt, 1932.
Source: Thanks to the Estate of John Platt for permission to reproduce this.

John Edgar Platt, Lamb, 1934, Inscription to the lower right reads 'To CP from JP'.
Source: Courtesy of Bamford's auctioneers. Formerly collection of Charles Paine.

Whilst Paine was working at the school he also undertook a number of other roles including one at the Royal School of Needlework. Paine must have found out about his new appointment in late June or early July of 1932. Paine created a self-portrait caricature in green pen wearing a crown and sat at a slate table on trestles, which is the traditional way embroiderers worked, for his friend Platt.[21] The drawing is dated 2 July 1932 and inscribed ‘Have got the job, thanks to your efforts. Charles.’[22] Paine was also in overall charge of the embroidery classes at BSA which in 1936 were taught by Miss M Birch (who also taught at the Royal School of Needlework) and Mrs Cole.[23] A recommendation by a figure such as Platt would have held great sway although I am sure they were more than just professional colleagues as the cartoon by Paine showed. Additionally in Paine’s personal collection was Platt’s colour woodcut of The Lamb inscribed ‘To CP from JP 1934’.[24]

In 1938 the school held an exhibition of works by the teaching staff and some of Paine’s poster designs featured in the display including some of those he made for Sundour fabrics and also some of his book illustrations. His contributions to the exhibition were described as follows:

‘Several brilliant posters by Mr. Charles Paine, A.R.C.A, are on view. The “Sandour” [sic] designs are exceedingly witty and complete, worked out in a way that proclaims the designer’s mastery of space and determination to put everything where it belongs pictorially. In his book illustrations, he has given a personal and illuminating interpretation of the subject-matter expressed with a sure instinct for the decoration of the printed page.’[25]

Following the closure of BSA in September 1940, when it effectively merged with Goldsmith’s in New Cross with Platt and two students moving to the new school. A few of the part-time visiting teachers continued to work at Goldsmith’s to ensure that the students had their specific needs met. Whilst Platt was off ill the Warden of Goldsmith’s agreed that the visiting teachers were paid up until the end of the Autumn Term 1940.[26] Given Paine’s importance to the pupils at the school from 1931 onwards it is quite likely that he was one of the teachers who continued working for BSA when it was at Goldsmith’s.

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[1] Ambrose Hogan and Sue Kirby, Charles Paine biography, Welwyn Hatfield Museum Service, Sep, 1992, p. 1. His teachers were PJJ Brooks and BD Taylor. Courtesy of Adrian at Darnley Fine Art.

[2] ibid. Richard Glazier and Gordon Forsyth were his teachers at Manchester School of Art.

[3] ‘Blackheath School of Art. Modern Posters’, in Blackheath Local Guide, 16 Nov 1929.  The exhibition featured works by Frederick Herrick, MacDonald Gill, McKnight Kauffer and Norman Wilkinson. Platt also delivered a lecture on ‘The Modern Poster’ on 27 November 1929. Some of the images described have sparked my interest so I will be writing a short blog on the exhibition in the coming months.

[4] ‘Blackheath School of Art: Commercial Art’, in Blackheath Local Guide, 19 Sep 1931, p. 11. The author also described further; ‘His series of Underground posters and the very beautiful series for fadeless fabrics are equally well known.’

[5] Blackheath Local Guide, 5 Sep 1931, p. 21. Full page advert features dates of the exhibition and also dates for lectures on French art by RH Wilenski and Reginald Brill.

[6] ‘Blackheath School of Art: Exhibition of Posters by Charles Paine. A Wealth of Ideas’, in Blackheath Local Guide, 3 Oct 1931, p. 19. The article also refers to cartoon designs (zodiac or seasons?) for rendering on a fountain in concrete; these were described as being ‘most effective’.

[7] ibid. ‘Altogether the exhibition showed a wealth of ideas, and it will be interesting to note the influence exerted at the next students’ exhibition of works in this department’.

[8] Taylor, Horace, ‘The Work of Charles Paine’ in Commercial Art, vol II, 1927, p. 234. After graduating from the RCA in 1919 he then took up an appointment at Edinburgh College of Art.

[9] The chronology section on Platt from the excellent www.woodblock.com describes his time at Edinburgh as a part-time appointment.

[10] Letter from DP Bliss to Neil Rhind, 6 April 1981. ‘The teacher of Design was an expert & experienced instructor – an old crony of Platt’s who he tempted him down from Edinburgh. I can’t remember his name for the moment, ah, now I’ve got it, Charles Paine. He did stained-glass and was a wizard teacher of Poster Design.’

[11] ‘Commercial Art’ in Blackheath Local Guide, 4 Feb 1933, p. 7. Paine’s lecture took place on Wednesday 1 February.

[12] ‘Blackheath School of Art Exhibition of Printing Crafts: Commercial and Artistic’ advertisement in Blackheath Local Guide, 18 Feb, 1933, p. 2. The advertisement described the exhibition as a ‘Collection remarkable for its interest, variety and comprehensiveness…’

[13] ‘Blackheath School of Art’ in Blackheath Local Guide, 18 Mar, 1933, p. 32. A number of printmaking techniques were explained through displays of the process in illustrated stages: ‘A series of pulls from lithographic stones, each printing one colour are included to show the production of a complete “Underground” poster.’

[14] ibid. ‘Even more fully displayed are the materials of the craft of the woodblock colour-printer and the wood-engraver, both practised at the Blackheath School of Art. The various stages in the making of a colour-print are illustrated by an interesting set of blocks with accompanying impressions, and the methods of cutting, printing, etc. are explained. Of this craft, Mr John Platt, Principal of the School, is perhaps the most distinguished English exponent.’ This description brings to mind Platt’s illustrations in his publication Colour Woodcuts: A Book of Reproductions and a Handbook of Method which was published in 1938. Plate 5 depicts the four stages of printing in the production of The Bull dated 1932.

[15] ‘Blackheath School of Art: Annual Exhibition of Students’ Work and Prize Distribution’ in Blackheath Local Guide, 14 July 1933, p. 24.

[16] ibid.

[17] ‘Blackheath School of Art. Exhibition of Students’ Work and Prize Distribution’ in Blackheath Local Guide, 13 July 1935, p. 28.

[18] ibid. The author continues, highlighting the skill and knowledge imparted on the exhibiting students by Paine: ‘There is a group of nine posters designed to advertise a well-known commodity, which while showing a great variety of idea, are all planned and carried through with the same technical competence and understanding of business needs. There is also a set of designs for chocolate boxes which have appropriate attractiveness and value for window display.’

[19] ‘Commercial Art at the Blackheath School of Art. Students’ Successes’ in Blackheath Local Guide, 14 Mar 1936, p. 33. The article also highlights that there will be considerable commercial art works in the students’ exhibition. For more on Meryl Watts see my blog entry Meryl Watts: Master Printmaker from 18 March 2018.

[20] Unfortunately the Embroiderer’s Guild does not have any record of this work inspired by Paine. Thanks must go to Annette Collinge from the Embroiderer’s Guild for her help with this.

[21] Thanks to Dr Susan Kay-Williams of the Royal School of Needlework for informing me of the correct name of the equipment as I originally erroneously believed Paine depicted himself sat at a loom.

[22] Thanks to Platt’s granddaughter, Liza, for kindly allowing me to view his collection of works which includes a number of designs and original works by Paine, including the cartoon and black and white photographs of the Sundour series calendar. Paine also sent Platt a cartoon of a hare holding a champagne glass wishing him a happy new year.

[23] ‘Blackheath School of Art’ in Blackheath Local Guide, 18 Jan 1936, p. 8. Miss Birch’s classes were on Mondays at 2.30pm and Mrs Cole’s evening classes on Tuesdays from 6.30pm to 9pm.

[24] Thanks to Bamford’s auction house for providing me with an image of the woodcut which was auctioned on 8 July 2015, lot 911.

[25] ‘Blackheath School of Art. Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture.’ In Blackheath Local Guide, 15 Jan 1938, p. 12. The actual titles of the books are not revealed although the illustrations may have come from English Today (volume 1 or 2), or most likely the book published by Morton Sundour in 1926 To Young Weavers.

[26] Thanks to Alexander du Toit for providing me with details regarding the move of John Platt and the remaining BSA students to Goldsmith’s in 1940.