"What, no ice?" : booklet issued by British Railways for Americans visiting the British Isles today : 1950 : illustrations by Tony Barlow : British reserve
A rather fine little booklet issued by British Railways to aid American Visitors to the British Isles in the post-war years and to offer some suggestions as to not only travel facilities but also some of the British customs that said visitors should expect to find so as not to be too surprised with what they found! This edition was issued in 1950 and is printed in the US by the Caples Company and includes cartoon illustrations to accompany the text. It is noted that this is the third edition following on from the initial version of 1948, the year the railways were nationalised.
The text covers topics of importance as to train and ancilliary services including steamer and ferry services, railway hotels, types of tickets and fares and the usefulness of obtaining Mileage Coupons in the US that gave an average 33% savings on fares. It also includes details of the London Transport "Go As You Please" tickets that again were only available for overseas visitors. The text also discusses British currency and 'habits'; this gives the title of the booklet - "if your drink is not full of tinkling ice cubes as you're accustomed to having it at home, remember, some of the Briitsh like it that way!", a reminder that not only were British drinking habits different but that refrigeration was not yet that widespread in the UK! There are many other reminders and exhortations designed to assist the visitor in having a pleasant stay, further assisted by the devaluation of the pound sterling that added value to dollar exchange.
The drawings include the use of "Chad", the chalk drawn character who was used to emphasis wartime and austerity shortages with the opening phrase "Wot no...". The illustrations are by Tony Barlow, an American advertising illustrator and cartoonist. Marvin Kellogg Barlow (1908 - ) did a series of similar adverts in the 1940s and '50s for the Statler hotel chain. Interestingly at various places the BR 'totem' logo appears - sometimes correctly using Gill Sans typeface, othertimes with an Americanised take on it!
This full page cartoon illustration is used to describe what is noted as the "British reticence about talking to strangers is so traditional as not to warrant enlargement here except that the camaraderie of travel is quite a good deal less than you're used to".
"What, no ice?" : booklet issued by British Railways for Americans visiting the British Isles today : 1950 : illustrations by Tony Barlow : British reserve
A rather fine little booklet issued by British Railways to aid American Visitors to the British Isles in the post-war years and to offer some suggestions as to not only travel facilities but also some of the British customs that said visitors should expect to find so as not to be too surprised with what they found! This edition was issued in 1950 and is printed in the US by the Caples Company and includes cartoon illustrations to accompany the text. It is noted that this is the third edition following on from the initial version of 1948, the year the railways were nationalised.
The text covers topics of importance as to train and ancilliary services including steamer and ferry services, railway hotels, types of tickets and fares and the usefulness of obtaining Mileage Coupons in the US that gave an average 33% savings on fares. It also includes details of the London Transport "Go As You Please" tickets that again were only available for overseas visitors. The text also discusses British currency and 'habits'; this gives the title of the booklet - "if your drink is not full of tinkling ice cubes as you're accustomed to having it at home, remember, some of the Briitsh like it that way!", a reminder that not only were British drinking habits different but that refrigeration was not yet that widespread in the UK! There are many other reminders and exhortations designed to assist the visitor in having a pleasant stay, further assisted by the devaluation of the pound sterling that added value to dollar exchange.
The drawings include the use of "Chad", the chalk drawn character who was used to emphasis wartime and austerity shortages with the opening phrase "Wot no...". The illustrations are by Tony Barlow, an American advertising illustrator and cartoonist. Marvin Kellogg Barlow (1908 - ) did a series of similar adverts in the 1940s and '50s for the Statler hotel chain. Interestingly at various places the BR 'totem' logo appears - sometimes correctly using Gill Sans typeface, othertimes with an Americanised take on it!
This full page cartoon illustration is used to describe what is noted as the "British reticence about talking to strangers is so traditional as not to warrant enlargement here except that the camaraderie of travel is quite a good deal less than you're used to".