EAR 59 Class Locomotive (SIGNED) (Original)

Artist: Richard Ward
Medium: Watercolour on Card
Size: 5" x 2" (125mm x 60mm)
Date: c. 1930
Signature: Signed by artist bottom right
Code: WardEAR5934

This is the Signed unique original Watercolour painting by Richard Ward.

This very rare, signed, original cigarette card artwork by Richard Ward features a EAR 59 Class steam engine and was produced for Wills Cigarettes circa. 1930.

So few of the original illustrations for cigarette cards exist that this is a must have for train and cigarette card enthusiasts alike.

The EAR 59 class is a class of oil-fired Garratt-type articulated steam locomotives. The 34 members of the class were built by Beyer, Peacock and Company in Manchester, England, for the East African Railways (EAR). They entered service in 1955–56, and were the largest, heaviest and most powerful steam locomotives to operate on any metre gauge railway in the world. This illustration features the final member of the class!

Produced by Ward with Mardon, Son & Hall of Bristol, who were famous for dealing with the art and printing of the cigarette trade. The business flourished after being set up in the Victorian era and was able to employ the best artists available.

The detail and quality of their work is incredible. A team of artists would work for several months producing up to fifty hand painted pieces centred around a certain theme and then present it to the client, often Wills Tobacco company who would then authorise the reproduction.

Richard Ward mostly painted in watercolour, his subjects included windmills, kachina dolls, wildlife and transport. He was self taught and produced artwork for the Brooke Bond tea picture card series, aircraft illustrations for 'Profiles' series of magazines and cards for Noel Tatt to name a few.