A rare poster by Edward Bawden (1903-89) advertising the London Underground and the British Empire Exhibition of 1924 is available on The Map House website for £6500.
The pictorial map was Bawden’s first commission, completed while still a student at the Royal Academy of Arts. He worked with the more experienced Thomas Derrick (1885-1954), who drew the outline structure of the map, with the younger artist filling in illustrations and calligraphy.
Of the 58 countries in the British Empire at the time, only two (Gambia and Gibraltar) did not take part in the exhibition.
Most of the buildings were intended to be temporary, but some such as the Palace of Engineering and the British Government Pavilion survived into the 1970s. The Empire Pool became the Wembley Arena.
This rare quad royal edition is 4ft 2in (1.27m) wide.
