Original Vintage Empire Marketing Board Poster, ‘The “Talking Drums”’ 1927/28 by Spencer Pryse.

This is an original vintage British propaganda and trade advertisement poster produced by the Empire Marketing Board (EMB) and titled ‘The “Talking” Drums’.  The illustration showcases and entourage from the Gold Coase (modern day Ghana), seated under large colourful parasols at the centre of which a musician plays a traditional talking drum using a curved beater.  The bold typography below highlights the stark comparison of colonial trade growth between 1906 and 1926 by the growth in British exports.  The design was part of a landmark West African series created by the renowned artist and lithographer, Spencer Pryse, to promote inter-empire commerce and domestic production during the interwar era.

Artist: Gerald Spencer Pryse

Dimensions: 103 cm x 64 cm

Year of Production: 1927/28

Country: United Kingdom

Print type: Original Lithography on paper

Printer: H.M. Stationery Office by Nathaniel Lloyd & Co. Ltd., London.

Condition: Very good.