Rosemary Ellis

Rosemary Ellis née Collinson (1910–1998) was a British artist, graphic designer and teacher known for her poster and book jacket designs.

Early life and education Ellis was born in Totteridge, North London in 1910. Her father was a cabinet maker who started Frank Collinson & Co. while her grandfather was a designer of note for the Collinson & Lock furniture company. She spent part of her childhood at Netley Marsh in the New Forest with her mother's family, after her father died of Spanish Flu having fought in the First World War. At art school she met her husband, Clifford Ellis, the couple married in 1931 and would frequently collaborate on art projects together.

Career

During the 1930s the Ellises produced more than twenty posters for London Transport, often using surrealist motifs, such as in the 1937 poster Travels in time on your doorstep. They also designed posters for the General Post Office, BP, the Empire Marketing Board plus a series of 16 lithographs for J Lyons & Co restaurants.

Starting in 1934 the couple designed the 'Professions' series of posters for Shell-Mex & BP including, for example, Anglers Prefer Shell. They also worked together on book jackets, murals and mosaics, signing their work with the monogram C&RE to reflect their joint and equal involvement. The Victoria Art Gallery in Bath and Bath Record Office hold archives of Ellis' papers and designs.