This 1925 colour lithograph from an original design by Henry George Gawthorn (1879-1941) for LNER railways is among the most familiar of golfing images, and the subject of countless reproductions, but it was the first time that the auctioneers had ever sold an original, said specialist Nicolette White.
Measuring 4ft 2in by 3ft 4in (1.27 x 1.02m) the poster was in good, but not perfect condition. The top end of the period railway poster market is usually around £5000-7000 – the estimate for this poster – but the determination of two golfing collectors forced the bidding to £18,000 (plus 17.5 per cent buyer’s premium) a price which Christie’s claimed as a new world record for a Scottish travel poster at auction.
1925 colour lithograph sells for £18,000
From the beaches of Newquay to the Kyle of Lochalsh, there was barely a corner of the British Isles not represented at Christie’s South Kensington’s sale of travel posters on September 12, but the appeal of the top ranked poster had more to do with sport than travel.
