BRADFORD artists of all descriptions, past and present, find their way onto the notjusthockney website, co-ordinated by art enthusiast and historian Colin Neville.

Here Colin writes about Bradford commercial artist Frank Newbould, who enticed people to visit the seaside...

“BRADFORD-BORN graphic designer Frank Newbould had a sign on his notice board in his London studio about his artwork: ‘Will it sell the goods?’

A shrewd businessman, as well as a fine artist, Frank rose to prominence in the commercial art world when he designed eye-catching railway posters for the London & Northern Eastern Railway (LNER) extolling rail trips to the East Coast seaside towns, where endless sun, sand, and fun awaited.

Frank was born in 1887 at the family home on Lumb Lane. His father was a pharmacist and had a shop on Manningham Lane. Frank attended Bradford Grammar School then studied commercial art at Bradford School of Art. After leaving art school, he found work in the design department of Bradford publishers, Lumb Humphries.

However, he decided he wanted to expand both his skills and his career horizons and in 1913 moved to London to study at the Camberwell School of Art. Here he thrived, winning Board of Education Bronze and Silver Awards for his striking poster designs. After he graduated with a first class honours degree in design, he worked freelance from a studio in Kensington and developed a reputation for his pen and ink illustrations.

In 1926 his big break came when he was commissioned by LNER as a poster designer for them, with the brief of making East Coast rail destinations as attractive as possible.

His work was characterised by its bold use of colour and in 1933 the LNER commissioned him to re-design the iconic ‘Skegness is So Bracing’ poster, originally created by John Hassall in 1908 for a rival train company. This time the Jolly Fisherman of Skegness was led by a blond-headed girl, who was to appear in a number of his other poster designs.

Frank also produced designs for passenger ship companies, London Transport, as well as cartoons for the Ideal Homes Exhibition.

To gain inspiration for his travel posters, he regularly visited destinations in Europe, USA, and further afield.

During WW2, he designed posters for the War Office - but this time discouraging unnecessary rail travel during wartime.

In 1938 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and died in 1951 at his London home.”

The notjusthockney website is an illustrated guide to professional artists, including David Hockney, who were born, work or made their home in the Bradford district.

Artists featured include Manningham-born Godfrey Wilson (1879-1967), an artist, teacher, rock-climber and potholer who produced hundreds of sketches recording Dales life, and John Butterfield (1913-1997), former chairman of Shipley Art Club. Among the present-day artists on the website are Jacky Al-Samarraie and former T&A graphic artist Steven Spencer.