The caption reads:
Our Local Express -
The Good Old Berwickshire Railway Acceleration of Trains along
Our Local Express -
The Good Old Berwickshire Railway Acceleration of Trains along
the Greenlaw Corridor makes the journey from Greenlaw to Earlston
and back in twenty four hours.
To give you some background to the satirical caption - just 10 miles separates the two villages of Earlston and Greenlaw. The postcard was franked 1906.
The Last Train from Earlston
These postcards, however, are not, however
original to Earlston, but penned by a Fife born artist Martin
Anderson - you will see his pseudonym signature of Cynicus at the foot
of each card. Many of his railway cartoons were overprinted
with different captions and town names, as here. So you will find the same illustration purporting to come a range of diverse locations.
Martin Anderson, (1854 –1932)
studied at Glasgow School of Art, set up the St. Mungo's Art Club and
exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. In 1880 he joined the publisher of The Dundee Advertiser, The Evening
Telegraph, People's Journal, and People's Friend - the first such staff artist to be
employed by any daily newspaper in Britain, for until then daily newspapers
were not illustrated.
He turned increasingly to satirical and political cartoons and comic postcard illustrations setting up the "Cynicus Publishing
Company". After initial success, the company was forced to close. Martin Anderson returned to Edinburgh in 1915, leasing a basement shop. Nine years later it was destroyed by fire, everything inside it
was lost, and he did not have the funds to repair and restock it.
He retired to Fife to live in increasing poverty. He died in 1932 and was buried in Tayport Old Churchyard, in an unmarked grave.
A sad end for such a prolific artist who was a forerunner in the field of humorous postcards. His work is still regularly available in auction houses and online.
The Berwickshire Railway through Earlston ran from 1863 until its closure in 1965.
With thanks to Auld Earlston for permission to feature these items from their collection.
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Both postcards are fun, but the second one has some rather fine detail. Such a shame the artist's creativity was cut short. I wonder if the fire was purposely set by folks who didn't appreciate his particular style of humor?
ReplyDeleteLovely cards and I like the cartoonist's subtle humour, unlike a lot of today's crude offerings.
ReplyDeleteWonderful cards from a bygone era. Sad that these cards are no longer in vogue. I can remember as a child what fun it was to be allowed to choose a postcard to send back to family while on holiday.
ReplyDeleteThese cards are full of detail and I can see why they would be so popular - as well as transferable to different named locations, without the humour being lost. It’s always sad to read of an artist who died in poverty though.
ReplyDeleteLike Marilyn said, Martin Anderson's story is a sad one. It is gratifying to know that his work is being appreciated today though.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your sympathetic comments.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate knowing the history of an artist and his illustrations in print. My uncle was a staff artist for a Wisconsin insurance company. I've dabbled in some print work on a part time basis...mainly making posters and self-publishing a couple of booklets. Now a retired and not-too-affluent potter artist, I'm grateful to have security of benefits that come with age, such as they are.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful postcards -- and I enjoyed the satirical caption. Humor has always been with us, for sure.
ReplyDelete