A child's life may depend on your brakes thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case MB3G, Shelf DR27

A child's life may depend on your brakes

Poster
ca.1940s- ca.1950s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Poster encouraging road safety depicting a child's face pictured within the wheel of a car. The tyre of a car fills most of the space, and it is illustrated with lines and 'debris' indicating that it is moving at speed. A black and white line stands for the mudguard, and a black and white photograph of a child's face, smiling, fills the area where the hubcap should be. Above the image is the poster's message in large black and red letters, 'A Child's Life', and below the image, 'May Depend on your Brakes'. The artist has signed himself, 'Eckersley' in the lower right corner.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleA child's life may depend on your brakes (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph
Brief description
Road safety poster produced by RoSPA, designed by Tom Eckersley, and printed by Loxley Bros. Ltd, United Kingdom, 1940s or 1950s
Physical description
Poster encouraging road safety depicting a child's face pictured within the wheel of a car. The tyre of a car fills most of the space, and it is illustrated with lines and 'debris' indicating that it is moving at speed. A black and white line stands for the mudguard, and a black and white photograph of a child's face, smiling, fills the area where the hubcap should be. Above the image is the poster's message in large black and red letters, 'A Child's Life', and below the image, 'May Depend on your Brakes'. The artist has signed himself, 'Eckersley' in the lower right corner.
Dimensions
  • Height: 75.8cm
  • Width: 50.4cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'A CHILD'S LIFE / MAY DEPEND ON YOUR BRAKES'' (Printed in black, except for the words 'Life' and 'Brakes', which are red)
  • 'RS/P/C. 17-1' (The issue number is printed in the lower left-hand corner, next to the Society's symbol, a red triangle in a black circle)
  • 'Issued by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Terminal House, 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London S.W.1 Printed by LOXLEY BROS. Ltd.'. (Printing and publishing information, printed at the bottom of the poster.)
  • 'ECKERSLEY' (Artist's signature, along the lower left corner)
Credit line
Gift of the American Friends of the V&A; Gift to the American Friends by Leslie, Judith and Gabri Schreyer and Alice Schreyer Batko
Subjects depicted
Other number
LS.2001 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number
Collection
Accession number
E.871-2004

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Record createdApril 19, 2006
Record URL
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