Poster Power!

Poster Power! will showcase an exceptional range of British advertising posters from the 19th and 20th centuries, drawn from the collections of the Victoria Art Gallery and Bath Record Office.

Reflecting the spirit of the times, the display will encompass posters promoting events and entertainment, theatre shows, travel and transport, political campaigns and even World War One recruitment. Visitors will discover how poster design has developed over time, and take a nostalgic journey through the events and products advertised over two centuries.

Many of the posters have links to the Bath area, advertising local events such as Theatre Royal shows, the Bath & West Show, community events on Walcot Street, and Bath Festivals through the ages. The oldest and most recent posters in the exhibition are both for the Theatre Royal: one from 1805, when the theatre moved to its current building, and one from 1989.

There will be a selection of posters by Bath-based artists Clifford and Rosemary Ellis, who worked as partners designing iconic posters for London Transport and Shell during the 1930s. Their imagery reveals an overwhelming interest in, and love of, the British countryside and the creatures that inhabit it. They also shared a love of fresh, bright colour and bold design.

The exhibition will also feature a stunning selection of vintage railway posters designed to entice tourists to Bath, with beautiful images of Georgian architecture and The Roman Baths.