Progress : the magazine of Unilever : Winter 1957 - 1958 : cover by Terence Cuneo - Swindon Works : back cover
On the covers of the Anglo-Dutch Unilever house magazine "Progress" is this fine study of the British Railways Western Region's Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Works at Swindon then described as one of the largest such works in Europe. Famously the main workshops of the pre-nationalisation Great Western Railway Swindon Works remained an important site in Britihs Railway days and, at the time, was still constructing locomotives.
The picture shows the locomotive erection shops, pride of place taken by one of the fruits of BR's 'Modernisation" programme - one of the Western's "Warhip" diesel-hydraulic locomotives that sits next to one of the partially constructed 2-10-0 9F heavy freight steam locomotives that were amongst the last constructed for British Railways and that were destined to have relatively short lives.
In the background a nod to history - Brunel's broad gauge locomotive North Star that was preserved at the works along with one of the driving wheels of the Lord of the Isles. There is also a mouse, trademark of Cuneo who was at the time one of the country's most commissioned artists. As the introductory note states he was frequently commissioned by BR for posters and he had recently completed four commissions for HM Queen Elizabeth II including a recently completed picture of the departure of HM The Queen on her State Visit to Denmark from Hull, a painting that was hung in the city's Guildhall.
Cuneo's work appears on the covers as the main article in the magazine is on the BR Modernisation Plan by the Chairman of the British Transport Commission, Sir Brian Robertson. Interestingly the magazine quotes that the commission for this work was by Unilever for Progress - however the painitng also forms the basis for a British Railways poster so consent must have been given.
Progress : the magazine of Unilever : Winter 1957 - 1958 : cover by Terence Cuneo - Swindon Works : back cover
On the covers of the Anglo-Dutch Unilever house magazine "Progress" is this fine study of the British Railways Western Region's Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Works at Swindon then described as one of the largest such works in Europe. Famously the main workshops of the pre-nationalisation Great Western Railway Swindon Works remained an important site in Britihs Railway days and, at the time, was still constructing locomotives.
The picture shows the locomotive erection shops, pride of place taken by one of the fruits of BR's 'Modernisation" programme - one of the Western's "Warhip" diesel-hydraulic locomotives that sits next to one of the partially constructed 2-10-0 9F heavy freight steam locomotives that were amongst the last constructed for British Railways and that were destined to have relatively short lives.
In the background a nod to history - Brunel's broad gauge locomotive North Star that was preserved at the works along with one of the driving wheels of the Lord of the Isles. There is also a mouse, trademark of Cuneo who was at the time one of the country's most commissioned artists. As the introductory note states he was frequently commissioned by BR for posters and he had recently completed four commissions for HM Queen Elizabeth II including a recently completed picture of the departure of HM The Queen on her State Visit to Denmark from Hull, a painting that was hung in the city's Guildhall.
Cuneo's work appears on the covers as the main article in the magazine is on the BR Modernisation Plan by the Chairman of the British Transport Commission, Sir Brian Robertson. Interestingly the magazine quotes that the commission for this work was by Unilever for Progress - however the painitng also forms the basis for a British Railways poster so consent must have been given.