7th August 2002, "Gilroy is Good for You"
A slide presentation by Bob Thake
a member of the Probus Club of Ewell.
Bob gave us a most interesting insight into the life of the artist John Gilroy. What a surprise it was, when the first slide was screened we saw a large advertisement poster "Guinness is Good for You", familiar to us all, in our younger days but modified slightly to give the theme to the talk!
We well remember the amusing presentations of the ostrich with his keeper's glass of Guinness slipping down its throat, with a pleasing look in its eyes while the keeper admonishes the bird for stealing his Guinness.
Also the one of the Toucan sitting on a weather vane with a glass of Guinness balanced on his beak, and indeed several more posters with similar situations were shown.
John Gilroy was born in 1898 at Whitley Bay near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he was one of a large family his father William was a landscape painter and it was clear from an early age that John was going to follow in his footsteps. From the early age of fifteen he was a cartoonist for a Newcastle papers, producing cartoons of artists who played the Newcastle circuit. In 1912 he won a scholarship to Armstrong College Art School, Durham University.
The First World War interrupted Gilroy's studies and he served overseas, he resumed his studies taking a place at the Royal College of Art, London, he attained the RCA diploma in painting. And was rewarded through scholarships and prizes, finally he won an RCA travelling scholarship, he graduated from the RCA in July 1923 but stayed on there until 1925 as a lecturer.
In 1925 Gilroy embarked on his long association with the advertising agency Benson's. Although Benson's was the first advertising agency for whom Gilroy worked as a company artist, he had already proven himself in the commercial art sphere.
Gilroy's early work at Benson's is suggested to have been on projects for Sardines and Virol. During his time there he also worked on campaigns for Bovril, Macleans and Monk & Glass Custard. His first significant assignment was the Mustard Club campaign for Coleman's, on which he worked with fellow artist W.Brearley and copywriters Greene and the latterly famous author Dorothy L Sayers, who at that stage was just a copywriter!
In 1928 Benson's gained the Guinness advertising account and Gilroy became involved with the beverage with which his work is most closely associated. Gilroy's first known Guinness poster was produced in 1930. He produced countless adverts and numerous poster designs for Guinness over nearly four decades. He is perhaps best remembered for his posters featuring the girder carrier and the woodcutter from the Guinness for Strength campaigns of the early 1930s and for the Guinness animals.
The posters were of course a great success for Guinness in promoting the drink, indeed many people were encouraged to drink it because of its iron content, and no doubt its medicinal contents were good.
Bob then screened some photographs of portraits of the Royal Family together with others of actors of the day. Will Hay from the film "Ghost Train" for example was one. He explained that these portraits had been commissioned because of his success with the Guinness posters.
It was interesting to note that his financial rewards were very poor for the quality of his work that he produced although Guinness did ultimately award him with an honorarium of £2,000 per year until his death.
I am sure today; he would have received far greater rewards working for a modern commercial artist group, however, as Bob said, Gilroy enjoyed his work and managed to keep going until he died.
Gilroy continued to produce Guinness material well into the 1960s even though he left Benson's employment to continue freelance work.
During the 1920s and succeeding decades commercial art was not Gilroy's sole occupation; he began to build his reputation as a painter both of portraits and landscapes. One of his earliest portrait commissions was to paint the future Edward V111.
Throughout the 30's Gilroy's paintings continued to be exhibited at the Royal Academy, his first being "Gwen" whilst his posters appeared on advertising hoarding, in newspapers etc. In 1941, with the onset of the blitz, the artist moved away from the devastation of London.
Throughout the war years, Gilroy's work continued to be shown at the Royal Academy while his commercial talents produced wartime posters for the government.
Gilroy produced greeting card designs for Royle Publications with hundreds of published designs over the next 30 odd year
Gilroy was a longstanding member of the Garrick Club where he was Chairman of the Arts Committee and where a number of his paintings hang. In 1975 Newcastle University awarded an honorary MA to Gilroy and in 1981, he was appointed a Freeman of the City of London.
John Gilroy died at Guildford, Surrey in 1985, aged 86.
Bob Thake gave much more detail than shown above and amplified his presentation with a wider selection of poster and paintings than shown here. Over 60 members showed their appreciation in the normal manner after enjoying this excellent slide lecture.
Well done Bob.
