A nice poster, with only three ink tones, I suspect, blue, black and orange. The block colour on the aircraft also works well, I think, and the choice to leave the propeller on the edge and invisible also facilitates the image’s success.

While the aircraft depicted in the poster has a de Havilland tail, the front end looks more like a Fairey Fox or Hawker biplane type, and with a sesquiplane biplane wing arrangement – a neat invention by the artist.

The King’s Cup is an annual British handicap air race, and in the inter war years and immediately post war, often fielded a remarkable diversity of aircraft. This year was 1932, and flown over a course of  1,223 miles. It was won by W. L. Hope, out of a field of 42 starters, and he travelled at an average speed of 124.25 in de Havilland Fox Moth G-ABUT race number ‘7’.

James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer.

Poster reproduction in the author’s collection, via Brooklands Museum. Race reference: Royal Aero Club King’s Cup web page.