Mark Wilson, the managing director of the Claremont Hotel in Douglas, alerted by an article in last month’s Isle of Man Courier, has bought two original vintage Isle of Man travel posters from the 1930-40s Golden Age of British rail travel.
He refused to say how much he paid but the reserve price was set at £2,000 per item.
The two posters were part of a cache discovered by a property developer, renovating a derelict house in Edinburgh. Ten posters were found hidden under a worn carpet, providing an underlay covering the floorboards.
All 10 posters were in absolute mint condition, with the original linen backing in place. The developer consigned them to Onslow’s, the specialist Dorset auctioneers.
One poster, entitled ‘The Isle of Man – Douglas Sands’, painted in 1946 by Charles Pears for British Railways, depicts a bikini-clad holiday maker catching a ball.
The other is entitled ‘Isle of Man’, painted in the 1930s by William Hoggatt for the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company Limited. The landscape scene looks over Douglas to Douglas Head, possibly painted from Snaefell.
Both artists were very popular in their day and their work is represented in a number of UK national collections, most notably the Tate Gallery.
William Hoggatt actually eloped to the Isle of Man and was active in promoting various cultural activities in the south of the island until his death in the early 1960s.
Both posters are prominently displayed and described in volume six of the UK National Railway Museum’s ‘Poster to Poster – Railway Journeys in Art’ as part of the National Collection of railway posters.
Mr Wilson said: ‘The auction was a unique opportunity to acquire two more original vintage Isle of Man travel posters to add to the Claremont’s growing collection.
‘They serve to remind our visitors that the island has an exceptional tourist heritage, the results of which surround us today. Such was the interest at auction they attracted global bids from a host of international collectors.
‘We were naturally delighted to obtain these outstanding items for the island. Even more so as they complement the theme of our new ground floor refurbishment exceptionally well.’