F Gregory Brown

F Gregory Brown is one of those great poster artists somewhat lost in time. Not as marketable as his London Underground and London Transport compatriot, E McKnight Kauffer, his work, nonetheless stands the test of time. He understood the genre and was a gifted practitioner.

hadleywoods

Gregory Brown (no one seems to know what the F stood for) was born in London in 1887, the son of an artist. His career started in metal working before turning to the graphic arts. Gifted in many outlets he won awards for illustration at the Milan International Exhibition and for textiles at the Paris International Exhibition of Decorative Arts.

While he served many clients, his most famous and long lasting work was done for the London Underground and London Transport. His métier was special events and special travels. London Transport, trains and busses, sought to utilize their rolling stock on weekends when most sat idle. Toward this end they created special trips that only ran on weekends or Sundays. Gregory Brown was the artist often chosen to design posters for these trips to idyllic and sometimes not so idyllic places.

countryzoob

“Hadley Woods” and “To the Country Quickly” are great example of Brown’s work reminiscent of famous woodcutters such as Baumann and Needell, while “ Zoo” reflects his great graphic skills. F Gregory Brown’s works sell in the range of one thousand to several thousand dollars but are somewhat rare, coming to the market infrequently.