Eric Gill: Madonna and Child

wood engraving
courtesy of Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa

Eric Gill (1882-1940) was an English sculptor, tyepface designer, stonecutter and printmaker. In the early 1900s he was based at Ditchling in Sussex, and founded The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, an art colony and experiment in communal life. Gill produced various works, including religious subjects, and in 1914 created the sculptures for the Stations of the Cross in Westminster Cathedral.

In 1924 he moved to Capel-y-ffin in Wales, where he set up a new workshop, and in 1925 he designed the Perpetua typeface, with the uppercase based upon monumental Roman inscriptions. This was followed by the Gill Sans typeface in 1927-30, based on the sans serif lettering originally designed for the London Underground. He published numerous essays on the relationship between art and religion, and also produced a number of erotic engravings.

This design by Eric Gill was used as a Christmas card by the Peace Pledge Union in 1937. In the mid-1930s as the threat of another war was imminent, people were beginning to believe that war of every kind is not only a denial of Christianity, but a crime against humanity which should no longer be permitted by a civilised society. As a result, The Peace Pledge Union was created, and in a few months over 30,000 people had signed up, with membership rising to over 100,000 the following year.

the above text appears on the back of the card
HC-736: card size 7" x 5" (178mm x 127mm)