“The design centre for British Industries” ad
On the back cover of the Society of Industrial Artists (SIA) Journal, no. 47 from October 1955, the Council of Industrial Design advertised the Design Centre for British Industries, to be opened at 28 Haymarket SW1 in the spring of 1956. From the University of Brighton Design Archives (via Jisc):
On 26 April 1956 Prince Philip opened the “Design Centre for British Industries” in London. This represented the end of a long fought campaign by the Council of Industrial Design, which desired a shop window to promote its own activities in support of British industry, and marked a triumph for all those who had advocated the need for a permanent display of British manufactured products in the nation’s capital. The building in Haymarket became the Council’s new home and was managed between 1956 and 1966 by Major General J M (Jack) Benoy, who joined the body in 1949. A vibrant programme of exhibitions took place in the display space downstairs, while in the offices above plans were made for exhibitions around the country and overseas.
The pink manicules are from Chap-Book Directors, which is part of a series of decorative dingbats and woodcut-style illustrations designed by Will H. Bradley for ATF’s The American Chap-Book periodicals, promoted for use with his Bewick Roman.
This specific manicule with the big frilly cuff is arguably the most prominent glyph from this series. Nick – founder of and top contributor to the Flickr Manicule group – pointed out that it has been adopted and used in various contexts, see the comments to a previous Use.
