Montague Birrell Black

Montague Birrell Black
London 2026 A.D. - This is all in the air
Born	Montague Birrell Black (1884-03-29)29 March 1884 Stockwell, London
Died	1964 (aged 79–80) Kensington, London
Known for	Painting Posters Illustration

White Star Line advertisement poster

White Star Line poster

LNER poster

Montague Birrell Black (29 March 1884 – 1964) was a British painter, illustrator and poster artist,[1] producing lithographs for the likes of White Star Line, the London Underground, and the British Railway Lines.[2]

Born in Stockwell, London, England, on 29 March 1884, he started his career as "Lithographic Artist" at the age of seventeen, after attending Stockwell College, in London.

Between 1910 and 1936, Black created numerous posters along with illustrations of the RMS Titanic and her sister ship RMS Olympic after the delivery of the vessels from the ship yard.[3]

He also produced decorative map posters for the British Railways and LNER.[4]

The majority of his illustrations were commissioned and printed by companies such as The Jarrold Group, McCorquodale & Co, Jordison &Co, The Liverpool Printing & Stationery Company.

Around 1910, a number of his paintings were registered at Stationers Hall in London for commercial use, and are now at The National Archives in the UK.[5]

In 1912, some of his paintings were exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.[6]

In 1926, he painted one of his more renowned works that is currently on display at the London Transport Museum, London, "2026 A.D. - This is all in the Air", which was designed to illustrate a future London where airships were the primary mode of transportation.[7][8]

During World War II, Black was a War Correspondent for the Toronto Star in Canada, while also producing war illustrations for the front page of La Presse.[9]

Some of his work is held at the National Railway Museum[10][11] and the Library of Congress in the US.[12] His posters, advertisements, paintings regularly come up for sale at auction houses such as Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams.[13][14][15]

Black died in Kensington, London in 1964.

References

1. "Poster advertising Llanwrtyd Wells". countytimes.co.uk. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
2. "Montague Birrell artist". marinersmuseum.org. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
3. "Painting | Black, Montague Birrell". Wales Museum. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
4. "collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk". Science Museum. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
5. "Montague biography". www.ltmuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
6. "Montague Black in Liverpool". www.antique-fine-art.com. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
7. "London Transport Museum collection". ltmuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
8. Jones, Jonathan (15 January 2015). "The 1926 painting that foresaw how London would look today". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
9. Deakes, Christopher (1 October 2023). A Postcard History of the Passenger Liner. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4930-7762-5.
10. Cole, Beverley; Durack, Richard (1992). Railway Posters, 1923-1947: From the Collection of the National Railway Museum, York, England. National Railway Museum. pp. 101, 150, 154. ISBN 978-0-8478-1506-7.
11. "Montague Birrell Black | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
12. "Unique in the travel world - Exclusively tourist third class - Monthly service throughout the year - London-Boulogne, New York - Atlantic Transport Line / Montague B. Black". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
13. "Montague Birrell Black auction results". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
14. Barton, Dick (3 August 2018). "Mystery buyer pays £300 for 1950 poster of Portstewart". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
15. Barton, Richard (25 July 2012). "Rare poster advertising ill-fated ship and its sister to go under hammer". Belfast Telegraph. p. 7. ProQuest 1027670170.