South African Class 5-462 Locomotive (Original)

Artist: Richard Ward
Medium: Watercolour on Card
Size: 5" x 2" (125mm x 60mm)
Date: c. 1930
Code: WardPacific462

This is the unique original Watercolour painting by Richard Ward.

This very rare original cigarette card artwork by Richard Ward features a South African Class 5 4-6-2 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 South African Railways Class 5 4-6-2 of 1912 was a steam locomotive. In 1912, four Enlarged Karoo Class 4-6-2 Pacific type passenger steam locomotives which had been ordered by the Cape Government Railways the year before were placed in service by the newly established South African Railways. The locomotives were therefore numbered directly onto the South African Railways roster and designated Class 5.

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.