Shell poster number 292, Salcombe by Hal Woolf. Landscape painting depciting Salcombe, with the beach and hills in the background and houses and part of the church at the front of the image.

Explore the Shell Heritage Art Collection

The Shell Heritage Art Collection is one of the most important collections of 20th Century British commercial art. Featuring the work of well-known modern British artists, some selected posters from the Collection can viewed here. 

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  1. Shell poster 111, See how they run, Shell Studio (1925). Painting of an anthropomorphic car being filled up from a Shell petrol pump. Two other cars are speeding off into the distance. Text reads; "See how they run on Shell".

    See How They Run

    • 1925
    • Shell Studio

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  2. Shell poster number 1545, Shell Day is coming! (1952) by George Ayers. Poster shows man quickly looking left and right (so appearing to have two heads), holding a shell logo alongside the text: "Shell Day is coming!". Petrol was rationed during WWII and oil companies pooled resources. Shell began to advertise the day that they could sell their branded products again as ‘Shell Day’.

    Shell Day is coming!

    • 1952
    • George Ayers

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  3. Shell poster number 540, Shell oil stays on the job (1939) by Abram Games. Painting shows red figure riding a bucking horse.

    Shell Lubricating Oil; Stays on the job

    • 1939
    • Abram Games

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  4. Shell poster number 209, Shell Oil & Petrol by F.C. Harrison. Red, white and blue stylised painting of racing drivers.

    Shell Oil and Petrol

    • 1928
    • Frederick Clifford Harrison

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  5. Shell poster number 78, Shell Pump - Be sure to see the guarantee (1924), Shell Studios. Painting of a Shell petrol pump, text reads "Be sure to see the guarantee, every pump officially tested and sealed".

    Shell Pump

    • 1924
    • Shell Studio

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  6. Shell poster number 248, Shell for anti-knock by John Yunge Bateman. Painting shows a yellow classic car travelling at speed. Knocking is an unwanted problem that can occur during combustion, caused by the petrol-air mixture exploding and causing a knocking noise.

    Shell for Anti-Knock

    • 1930
    • Yunge

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  7. Shell poster number 166, Take no risk - take Shell (1928), no artist given. Painting of a classic car on a hillside over looking a valley. A Shell petrol pump stands in the foreground.

    Take No Risk – Take Shell

    • 1928
    • Shell Studio

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  8. Shell poster number 126, Unadulterated, Shell Studio (1926). Painting of a man filling up a female motorist's car from a Shell petrol pump. Caption reads; "Unadulterated - these signs guarantee that."

    Unadulterated

    • 1926
    • Shell Studio

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Panoramic view of the first floor of the National Motor Museum

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