Not currently on display at the V&A

I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet

Painting
1964 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

'I was Lord Kitchener's Valet' was a boutique in 1960s London. Initially a market stall in Portobello Market, it opened its first shop in Portobello in 1966. It later moved to Foubert's Place on Carnaby Street after a brief spell on Wardour Street. The shop sold secondhand uniforms, such as the famous red tunic worn by Jimi Hendrix, silk shirts, 'pop art' Union Jacks and bulls eye shirts and jackets, badges and military buttons. The design of the shop sign, which was created for the boutique so that it would be visible to those walking down Carnaby Street, was inspired by the famous armed forces recruitment poster designed by Alfred Leete, issued in 1914. This showed Lord Kitchener, then Secretary of State for War, pointing at the viewer with the words 'Your Country Needs You'. The older generation was shocked by the fashion for wearing decommissioned uniforms by the anti-establishment youth.

The shop was considered a key venue in the 1960s and featured in many contemporary documentary photographs and film footage.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet (assigned by artist)
  • Carnaby Street Shop Sign (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Gloss paint on fibre board
Brief description
Original Carnaby Street hanging shop sign for 'I Was Lord Kitcheners Valet', Pat Hartnet, London, 1964
Physical description
Painted shop sign with an image of Lord Kitchener taken from the First World War poster of Lord Kitchener pointing and stating 'Your Country Needs You'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 152.5cm
  • Width: 84cm
Gallery label
Painted shop sign Pat Hartnet 1964 The older generation was shocked by the fashion for wearing decommissioned uniforms by the anti-establishment youth. This shop sign from the Foubert's Place branch of 'I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet' blatently appropriates Lord Kitchener's image from the famous First World War poster 'Your Country Needs You' by Alfred Leete. Gloss paint on fibre board E.1428-2001
Object history
The sign was created for the shop in Foubert's Place on Carnaby Street, London in 1966
Subject depicted
Place depicted
Summary
'I was Lord Kitchener's Valet' was a boutique in 1960s London. Initially a market stall in Portobello Market, it opened its first shop in Portobello in 1966. It later moved to Foubert's Place on Carnaby Street after a brief spell on Wardour Street. The shop sold secondhand uniforms, such as the famous red tunic worn by Jimi Hendrix, silk shirts, 'pop art' Union Jacks and bulls eye shirts and jackets, badges and military buttons. The design of the shop sign, which was created for the boutique so that it would be visible to those walking down Carnaby Street, was inspired by the famous armed forces recruitment poster designed by Alfred Leete, issued in 1914. This showed Lord Kitchener, then Secretary of State for War, pointing at the viewer with the words 'Your Country Needs You'. The older generation was shocked by the fashion for wearing decommissioned uniforms by the anti-establishment youth.

The shop was considered a key venue in the 1960s and featured in many contemporary documentary photographs and film footage.
Collection
Accession number
E.1428-2001

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Record createdAugust 6, 2003
Record URL
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