Bovril. "Alas! my poor Brother" thumbnail 1
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Bovril. "Alas! my poor Brother"

Poster
ca. 1905 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a poster for Bovril beef extract. The advertising agent S. H. Benson, whose first account was that of Bovril, successfully established it as a household name. First conceived in 1896, ‘Alas! My Poor Brother’ had enduring popularity. It won second prize in a Bovril competition for the most popular poster in 1923. It was bought from the Avenue Press, and is an example of a speculative design bought from these printers. The image was then used in posters, colour throwaways, press advertisements and plaster models for shop window display.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleBovril. "Alas! my poor Brother" (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph on paper
Brief description
"Alas! My poor Brother", poster by W.H. Caffyn advertising Bovril. Great Britain, 1905.
Physical description
Poster for Bovril beef extract, with an illustration of a bull and the caption "Alas! My poor Brother".
Dimensions
  • Height: 2985mm
  • Width: 2230mm
Credit line
Given by Ogilvy Benson & Mather Ltd
Subject depicted
Summary
This is a poster for Bovril beef extract. The advertising agent S. H. Benson, whose first account was that of Bovril, successfully established it as a household name. First conceived in 1896, ‘Alas! My Poor Brother’ had enduring popularity. It won second prize in a Bovril competition for the most popular poster in 1923. It was bought from the Avenue Press, and is an example of a speculative design bought from these printers. The image was then used in posters, colour throwaways, press advertisements and plaster models for shop window display.
Collection
Accession number
E.147-1973

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Record createdFebruary 13, 2003
Record URL
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