By tram from Hammersmith Wimbledon or Shepherd's Bush

Fred Taylor was a prolific British painter and poster designer known for his detailed, near-photographic renderings of architecture, his depictions of idyllic landscapes, and his energetic multi-figure scenes. Bursting with Art Nouveau jubilance, Taylor's 1922 poster By Tram from Hammersmith Wimbledon or Shepherds Bush is exemplary of his iconic designs for The Underground Electric Railways Company of London, Limited.

Taylor’s poster work emerged during an early 20th century global revolution in graphic publicity. It also emerged amidst the evolution of London’s expanding public transportation network. To put things in perspective, the last horse drawn tram in London didn’t hang up its bridle until 1915–only seven years before this piece’s debut–and electric trams, Underground trains, and motor buses all jockeyed for position in the city’s jam-packed streets. Unsurprisingly, The Underground Electric Railways Company of London, Limited widely harnessed bold visual design to promote travel using their modes of transport. 

Starting in 1908, Frank Pick, the head of publicity for the company, transformed Underground advertising by commissioning artists to create posters that highlighted destinations rather than the transport itself, reinforcing the system’s universal appeal and aligning trains and trams with a sense of fantasy, wonder, and possibility. The resulting work emphasized leisure, comfort, and modernity, often drawing from contemporary art movements like Fauvism, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Realism and Impressionism. Artists like Taylor shaped a cohesive yet aesthetically diversified brand identity designed to communicate this vision and entice passengers.