World War II poster by Bacon, encouraging people to enlist in the armed forces
Cecil Walter Bacon, MSIA (24 August 1905 – 12 August 1992), who signed his work "CWB", was a British artist and illustrator.[1] Much of his work was in the art deco style.
Bacon was born in Battle, Sussex, England, where his father was a businessman who ran a tannery.[1] He was educated at Sutton Valence School, St Lawrence College, Ramsgate, and Hastings School of Art, being at the latter from 1923 to 1925, when he was taught by Philip Cole.[1] In 1926, he began working for an advertising agency on London, before turning freelance in 1929.[1] Between 1932 and 1935 he designed a number of posters for London Transport.[2]
He worked regularly for the Radio Times and in 1943, during the war, he drew an illustration for the Christmas edition, depicting a soldier holding a sprig of holly.[3]
After the war, he produced designs for, among others, British Railways[2] and the Post Office Savings Bank.[1] He was adept at scraperboard work, and in 1951 wrote a book on the topic.[2] He also illustrated a number of books, and designed book jackets, including those for first editions of early works by Raymond Chandler.
Bacon married Irene Proctor in 1929; they had two sons.[1] He died on 12 August 1992.[1] A number of his posters are in the collection of the London Transport Museum.[2] A retrospective exhibition, Designer's Progress, took place in 1984 at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery.[1]
Bibliography
Scraperboard drawing. How to do series. Vol. 41. Studio Publications. 1951.
Illustrations/ book jackets
Morgan, Joan (1940). Citizen of Westminster. Chapman and Hall.
