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Oil, wipe it up. . .

Poster
ca.1940s- ca.1950s (made)
Artist/Maker
Loxley Bros. Ltd. (printers)
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (publishers)
Ministry of Labour and National Service (issued by)
Eckersley, Tom (OBE) (designer)
Place of origin
London (published)

Poster encouraging safety at work depicting a stylised cuboid-shaped oil drum, coloured red, black and green. The drum has the word 'Oil' on its side. The top of the drum has part of a handle, and a circular lid. The lid has not been closed properly, allowing some of the green-coloured oil to spill and run over the side of the container, collecting in a puddle at the bottom. Beginning in this puddle, is the poster's slogan in large black letters, 'Wipe it up', and below this in slightly smaller red letters, 'Before it throws you down'. The artist has signed himself, 'Eckersley' along the top of the image.

Object details

Categories
Prints
Propaganda
Health
Posters
Object type
Poster
TitleOil, wipe it up. . . (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph
Lithographic Ink
Paper
Lithography
Brief description
Safety at work poster produced by RoSPA, designed by Tom Eckersley, and printed by Loxley Bros. Ltd, United Kingdom, 1940s or 1950s
Physical description
Poster encouraging safety at work depicting a stylised cuboid-shaped oil drum, coloured red, black and green. The drum has the word 'Oil' on its side. The top of the drum has part of a handle, and a circular lid. The lid has not been closed properly, allowing some of the green-coloured oil to spill and run over the side of the container, collecting in a puddle at the bottom. Beginning in this puddle, is the poster's slogan in large black letters, 'Wipe it up', and below this in slightly smaller red letters, 'Before it throws you down'. The artist has signed himself, 'Eckersley' along the top of the image.
Dimensions
  • Height: 76.2cm
  • Width: 50.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'OIL / WIPE IT UP / BEFORE IT THROWS YOU DOWN' (Printed in black and red)
  • 'MLB/159' (The issue number is printed in the lower left-hand corner, next to the Society's symbol, a cog and a triangle.)
  • 'Issued by the Ministry of Labour and National Service and produced 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' (Printed parallel with top edge of oil can)
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
Health
Safety
Prevention
Accident
Oil
Containers
Associated object
E.247-2004 (Duplicate)
Other number
LS.2002 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.872-2004

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Record createdApril 11, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O122984/oil-wipe-it-up--poster-eckersley-tom-obe/
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