Cornwall | 1935

Cornwall, 1935, by Leonard Cusden

This striking Art Deco poster depicts a sunlit beach scene along the dramatic Cornish coastline. Dominated by rugged, ochre-coloured cliffs that frame the composition, the image shows two children in the foreground playing in a shallow rock pool on golden sands. Further in the distance, other holidaymakers can be seen enjoying the beach, with a small sailing boat visible on the azure blue sea. The scene is set beneath a mint-green sky dotted with stylised white clouds, creating a serene summer atmosphere. The bold, geometric word "CORNWALL" in matching mint-green lettering spans the lower portion of the poster, while beneath it brown text announces "MONTHLY RETURN TICKETS • PENNY • A • MILE • ISSUED ALL THE YEAR ROUND". The Great Western Railway's distinctive circular "GWR" logo appears in the bottom right corner, completing this classic example of 1930s British railway promotional artwork.

This poster was commissioned by the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1935 to promote tourism to Cornwall's coastal resorts as part of their extensive holiday marketing campaigns. Though depicted as a generic Cornish beach scene, the location is believed to represent Newquay, one of Britain's most popular seaside destinations of the era. The GWR, often nicknamed "The Holiday Line", played a crucial role in developing tourism in the West Country and Cornwall during the interwar period. The "penny a mile" monthly return tickets advertised in the poster were an important marketing initiative to make train travel more affordable for middle-class holidaymakers during the economic challenges of the 1930s Depression. The GWR's publicity department was renowned for its innovative approach to advertising, using high-quality artwork from leading commercial artists to create memorable images that became synonymous with British seaside holidays. This poster exemplifies the railway company's strategy of promoting Cornwall as an accessible domestic holiday destination with dramatic landscapes and family-friendly beaches.

Leonard Cusden (1898-1979) was a versatile British commercial artist whose career spanned from the early 1930s through to the early 1970s. He produced numerous railway posters for the Great Western Railway, Southern Railways, and later British Railways, with his distinctive style becoming a hallmark of British travel advertising. Cusden's work for the GWR featured prominently in their tourism campaigns for Devon and Cornwall, capturing the essence of these popular holiday destinations with bold colours and elegant compositions. Beyond railway posters, Cusden became particularly well-known for his work with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), creating hundreds of workplace safety posters that combined striking imagery with powerful messaging. During World War II, he also designed propaganda posters, further demonstrating his versatility as a commercial artist. His distinctive artistic approach embraced the clean lines and geometric forms of Art Deco, while maintaining accessible imagery that appealed to a broad public audience. Cusden later taught at the London College of Printing in the mid-1960s, where he was remembered as "a quietly spoken, intelligent man" who mentored younger artists and designers.