Guinness advertising poster commemorating the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953 / Gilroy
- Bib ID:
- 8555264
- Format:
- Picture
- Author:
- Gilroy, John, 1898-1985, artist
- Printer:
- Leeds : Printed in Great Britain by John Waddington Ltd.
- Description:
-
- [London] : [Guinness], [1953]
- 1 poster : colour ; 82 x 53 cm
- Summary:
-
A poster advertising Guinness beer as part of an ongoing campaign, which features a menagerie of artist John Gilroy's animals perched on a bench, raised up by the zookeeper with outstretched arms above the crowd of spectators at the Coronation. Along the bench are a sea lion, a kangaroo with a joey in its pouch, an ostrich, and a toucan. Except for the ostrich, all the other animals each hold a small Union Jack flag. The poster was devised jointly by Gilroy and S.H. Benson advertising agency copywriter Stanley Penn, and is reputed to be the first British poster to have neither copy nor any reference to the brand. The artist's signature appears lower left.
- Biography/History:
-
The artist John Gilroy (1898-1985) worked on Guinness advertising campaigns from 1928 to the 1960s. His original concept was inspired by a performing sea lion that caught his eye at the zoo, who, he thought would be smart enough to balance a glass of Guinness on its nose. Gilroy went on to paint several other animals, such as a crocodile, a kangaroo with a bottle in its pouch, an ostrich who has swallowed a glass of Guinness, a pelican with a beak full of bottles and most famously a toucan, along with a hapless zookeeper who was a caricature of Gilroy himself. The tagline, "My Goodness, My Guinness" was one of the longest used in any advertising campaign. --Based on information from the Guinness archive.
- Notes:
-
- Untitled, title devised by cataloguer.
- National Library of Australia copy is unbacked, staining tide mark in upper right image; small tears, repaired tears, creases and abrasions at edges; creases in image.
- Subject:
-
- Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain, 1926-2022 -- Coronation -- Posters
- Guinness (Firm) -- Posters
- Coronations -- Great Britain -- Posters
- Queens -- Great Britain -- Posters
- Zoo animals -- Great Britain -- Posters
- Kangaroos -- Great Britain -- Posters
- Advertising -- Beer -- Great Britain -- Posters
- Posters, British
- Australian
- Other authors/contributors:
- Terms of Use:
- Copyright restrictions may apply.
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2055 [Creator Date of Death + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Artistic
- Presumed date of death of creator (latest date):
- 1985
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 1953
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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