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Cyril Kenneth Bird (Fougasse)   - Please Stand on the Right of the Escalator

Please Stand on the Right of the Escalator

Cyril Kenneth Bird (Fougasse)   (English, 1887 – 1965)
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License: All public domain files can be freely used for personal and commercial projects.
Why is this image in the public domain?
It was commissioned by the United Kingdom Government prior to 1971
Cyril Kenneth Bird (Fougasse)  

Cyril Kenneth Bird CBE, known by the pen name Fougasse, was a British cartoonist.

He was perhaps best known for his work in Punch magazine (of which he served as editor from 1949 to 1953) and his World War II warning propaganda posters; "Careless talk costs lives" was one of the most popular. He also designed many posters for the London Underground.

Bird was born in London on 17 December 1887, the son of Arthur Bird, a company director. He was educated at Cheltenham College and King's College London (B.Sc.). While at King's College he attended evening art classes at the Regent Street Polytechnic and at the School of Photo-Engraving in Bolt Court.

He was seriously injured at the Battle of Gallipoli during World War I and invalided out of the British Army.

Bird first contributed to Punch in 1916, while convalescing, and also contributed to several other British newspapers and magazines, including the Graphic and Tatler. His pen name was based on the fougasse, a type of mine.

As one of the best known cartoonists of the time, he was one of 170 authors who created doll-sized books exclusively for Queen Mary's Dolls' House; his illustrated verse tale, written on postage stamp-sized pages, was published as a regular-sized hardback in 2012 by the Royal Collection and Walker Books.

In the course of the 1920s and 1930s, his drawings evolved from the traditionally representational to an innovative, spare, style that was both unique and popular, featuring in many advertising campaigns as well as in magazine editorial. He became art editor of Punch from 1937 to 1949, then editor until 1953. He was the only cartoonist ever to edit the magazine. During World War II, he worked unpaid for the Ministry of Information, designing humorous but effective propaganda posters including the famous "Careless Talk Costs Lives" series. For this work he was awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1946. In 1951 he was elected as Master of the Art Workers' Guild.

He illustrated and co-wrote several humorous books with W. D. H. McCullough. These included the very successful Aces Made Easy – or Pons asinorum in a nutshell, on the subject of contract bridge, in 1934, and You Have Been Warned – A Complete Guide to the Road, in 1935.

In the mid-1950s, he taught at the Christian Science Sunday School in the Sloane Square church, which has since been converted into the Cadogan Hall concert hall. He died in London, aged 77.

Since 2009 his cartoon of a butler carrying a tray has been used to illustrate the front page of British Airways' First Class menus, continuing an association with the airline which goes back to the 1930s when Fougasse penned advertising posters for BA's forerunner, Imperial Airways.

Bird married Mary Holden Caldwell on 16 September 1914.

In Collection: World War II Posters (View all 879)

Housewives! Wage War on Hitler – Save

Housewives! Wage War on Hitler – Save

Anonymous
Salvage is Vital in Conserving out Shipping

Salvage is Vital in Conserving out Shipping

Abram Games (English, 1914-1996)
Labour and Management – This is our Strength

Labour and Management – This is our Strength

Faimmel
Blood Donors – 30 Minutes of Your Time Now a Lifetime to Somebody Else

Blood Donors – 30 Minutes of Your Time Now a Lifetime to Somebody Else

Abram Games (English, 1914-1996)
A l’Oeuvre C’est Notre Guerre

A l’Oeuvre C’est Notre Guerre

Eric Aldwinckle (Canadian, 1909-1980)
Is He Killing Time or Killing Nazis – Spares May Decide

Is He Killing Time or Killing Nazis – Spares May Decide

Anonymous
Here’s What Your War Savings Do For You…

Here’s What Your War Savings Do For You…

Anonymous
The Enemy Has Long Ears

The Enemy Has Long Ears

Anonymous
Battleships of the Royal Navy

Battleships of the Royal Navy

Roland Davies (Welsh, 1904-1993)
Careless talk got there first

Careless talk got there first (1944)

Ray Prohaska (American, 1901 - 1981)
Wanted in Prague

Wanted in Prague

Anonymous
Is your trip necessary; Needless travel interferes with the war effort

Is your trip necessary; Needless travel interferes with the war effort (1943)

Anonymous
The Battle for Fuel – Switch off Lights

The Battle for Fuel – Switch off Lights

Anonymous
A British ‘Spitfire’ on Patrol

A British ‘Spitfire’ on Patrol

Anonymous
Protect his future. Buy and keep war bonds

Protect his future. Buy and keep war bonds (1944)

Ruth Alexander Nichols
View all 879 Artworks

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License: All public domain files can be freely used for personal and commercial projects.
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