The Jolly Fisherman - mascot of Skegness
The famous railway poster promoting travel to Skegness as 'SO bracing', also known as The Jolly Fisherman, was created in 1908 by artist John Hassall, born in Kent, on commission to the Great Northern Railway (GNR). It is regarded as one of the most famous holiday advertisements of all time, and is believed to have influenced the success of Skegness in Lincolnshire as a British holiday destination.
Hassall was paid 12 Guineas for his work, subsequently replicated and imitated hundreds of times. The original painting hangs in the town hall at Skegness. There is also now a statue of the Jolly Fisherman in Tower Gardens in the resort.
Hassall was working at the time as an advertising artist for agency David Allen & Sons, a career which lasted fifty years. Between 1896 and 1899 alone, he produced over 600 theatre poster designs for the firm while, at the same time, providing illustrations to several newspapers. Making use of flat colours enclosed by thick black lines, his poster style was very suitable for children's books, and he produced many volumes of nursery rhymes and fairy stories, such as Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes (1909). He also did some dramatic war art in World War One and subsequently, including tanks and early aircraft. He died in 1948.
Further reading
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