Golden Cockerel Christmas Cards

When Christopher Sandford's brother Anthony replaced Francis Newbery as a partner in the Golden Cockerel Press he embarked on a number of schemes to increase the turnover of the press. One of these was the production of more unlimited (cheap) editions discussed in https://www.librarything.com/topic/326292. Another was the production of Christmas Cards, using the large stock of wood-engraved blocks owned by the Press.

The obvious choice for a Christmas Card illustrator for the GCP would perhaps be Eric Gill but Gibbings had sold all Gill's blocks back to Gill for £200 in the winter of 1932/1933, so Anthony Sandford made a not notably Christmassy selection of mostly Gibbings engravings.

The first set of cards was issued in 1937 and promoted in a flyer CHRISTMAS CARDS A SELECTION FROM THE GOLDEN COCKEREL SERIES inserted in the 1937 GCP Autumn List.

David Chambers did not give this flyer a number in Cock-a-Hoop, but it is number 230 in Empson & Harris. Empson & Harris are only interested in Gibbings, and state that 8 of the designs are by Gibbings. The other two are clearly by Agnes Miller Parker.

Cats: Agnes Miller Parker from Daisy Matthews and Three Other Tales
Crane: Robert Gibbings from Initiation
Palms: Robert Gibbings
Village: Agnes Miller Parker from The House with the Apricot and Two Other Tales
Gull: Robert Gibbings from Glory of Life
Ship: Robert Gibbings from ?which of the sea series books?

Squirrel: Robert Gibbings
Shepherd: Robert Gibbings
Fox: Robert Gibbings
Frog: Robert Gibbings from Count Stefan

The second set of cards was issued in Autumn 1938 and promoted in a flyer CHRISTMAS CARDS - A Selection from THE GOLDEN COCKEREL SERIES



Empson & Harris number this 239 and state that 7 of the designs are by Robert Gibbings.

The cards are described on the back cover of the THE GOLDEN COCKEREL CATALOGUE 1938



The John O'Connor engravings C and H are from Here's Flowers, the David Jones engravings D and O are from The Book of Jonah and J is from Pompey The Little, the Gibbings engravings E and H are from Glory of Life, the Elisabeth Geddes engravings are from Animal Antics.

The third and last set of cards was issued in 1939 and promoted in a flyer Some of the GOLDEN COCKEREL CHRISTMAS CARDS



Empson & Harris number this 249 and state that 10 of the designs are by Gibbings. The back cover of AUTUMN BOOKS FROM THE WORKSHOP OF THE GOLDEN COCKEREL PRESS says the cards are "illustrated by Robert Gibbings, David Jones, John Nash, John Buckland Wright, and other leading artists."

A Robert Gibbings from Crotty Shinkwin
B Robert Gibbings
C Robert Gibbings?
D David Jones from Pompey The Little
E John Buckland Wright from Love Night
F John Nash from Flowers & Faces
G Robert Gibbings from Glory of Life
H Robert Gibbings from Lord Adrian
I Robert Gibbings?
J I have no idea
K Robert Gibbings?
L Robert Gibbings from Miscellaneous Poems of Jonathan Swift
M Robert Gibbings from Miscellaneous Poems of Jonathan Swift
N Robert Gibbings from Glory of Life
O John Nash from When Thou Wast Naked
Q perhaps Osbert Lancaster?? from Epicure's Anthology??

Owen Rutter wanted to produce more Christmas cards in 1940 (using blocks from John Fryer and other books) but Christopher Sandford was not in favour. (Cave & Manson p158.)

It would be interesting to know what the "greetings and verses" inside the cards are. I have managed to track down one card in the V&A print room, but have not yet had time to go to London to see it.

Thank you for sharing. An interesting read and very insightful exploration

>1 tim_rylance: thanks for the post.

K is definitely Gibbings, it's from The Hundredth Story of A E Coppard.

Great post! Thanks for illuminating an overlooked aspect of fine press operations. Very nice.