Outward Bound by P&O to Australia and the Far East
Artist
Marcus Campbell
(1905 - 1992)
Datec 1960
Object number00029429
NamePoster
MediumColour lithograph on paper
DimensionsImage: 1011 × 645 mm
Sheet: 1100 × 728 mm
Overall: 1100 × 728 × 1 mm, 0.45 kg
Mount / Matt size (G Fini Mount): 1250 × 901 mm
Sheet: 1100 × 728 mm
Overall: 1100 × 728 × 1 mm, 0.45 kg
Mount / Matt size (G Fini Mount): 1250 × 901 mm
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM collection
DescriptionThis travel poster advertising outward bound services with P&O to Australia and the Far East was produced during the 1960s. Shipping companies often promoted Australia as a land of sunshine and opportunity. The clear skies, soaring white gulls and azure seas in this print evoke escapism and a sense of taking flight.HistoryP&O was founded in 1837 when the partnership of Wilcox and Anderson secured a contract to carry mail from the UK to the peninsular ports Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Cadiz and Gibraltar. In 1840 the company secured a new contract to extend the service to Alexandria in Egypt, and in 1844 this contract was extended to Madras, Ceylon, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. P&O established the Far East route to Australia in the 1850s, when it took over from less efficient services such as the East India Company.SignificanceThe strong use of colour and a simple message aimed to catch the attention of the passer by and would-be tourist. The seagulls, with their underlying theme of migration and freedom, together with the characteristic image of a liner crossing a deep blue ocean, were representative elements of posters designed during this period.
