The Story of Soccer 3 (Signed) (Original)

Artist: Ralph Bruce
Medium: Watercolour on Board
Size: 15" x 17" (370mm x 420mm)
Date: 1970
Signature: Signed by artist in bottom border (not shown)
Code: BruceFootball3LL

This is the Signed unique original Watercolour painting by Ralph Bruce.

Series of pictures of memorable events in football, from the top: 1938 Cup Final, Preston North End vs. Huddersfield Town - George Mutch takes the match winning penalty; Italy were holders of the World Cup in 1939 when World War II broke out, but the President of the Italian FA kept the cup safe by hiding it under his bed for four years;

1938, England 7 Ireland 0, the partnership of Stanley Matthews and Willie Hall; Before the advent of the white ball, there was often a bucket of whitewash by the side of the pitch to dip the ball in to make it visible on muddy pitches; Sheffield Wednesday once had a monkey mascot;
in Brazil a bored goalie sat in the goalmouth on a bucket and drank an iced drink during a match that saw him undisturbed by the opposition; 1938 Raith Rovers won the Scottish Second Division, having lost only two matches and scored 142 goals - unfortunately they subsequently had a disastrous time in the First Division and were relegated.

This is the original artwork from Look and Learn no. 430, 11th April 1970.

• Artist Biography
  Ralph Bruce
  Ralph Bruce was a talented illustrator who worked for Look and Learn in the 1960s. Until the mid-1960s he was a regular artist for The Children's Newspaper and was probably brought to the educational paper by former Children's Newspaper editor, John Davies, who took over the editorship of Look and Learn in 1965.
  
  His artwork covered a huge range of subjects. His historical illustrations ranged from ancient Greece and Roman Britain, to the eras of Shakespeare, Caxton and modern journalism. He was particularly adept at portraits and drew everyone from Dickens to the Beatles for Look and Learn as well as contributing covers for various series, including Famous Couples and When They Were Young in the late 1960s. Some of his best work was contributed to the long-running series The Story of Opera, penned by Robin May.
  
  Prior to working for Look and Learn, Bruce had illustrated book covers for Digit Books in the late 1950s, titles including The Deep Six by Martin Dibner, I Came Back by Krysyna Zywulska, White August by John Boland, Air Patrol Biscay by Richard T. Bickers, Horns of the Dragon by Felix Trigg, Battle of the Bulge by William M. Stokoe, The God of Channel 1 by Donald Stacy, Nor Iron Bars a Cage by W. H. Aston, all in 1957.