By Underground to fresh air

Maxwell Ashby Armfield designed this Underground poster in 1915. The circles look as though they have been punched out of Japanese woodcuts. Against the black background, they become planetary forms in a night sky. Although life in London had been greatly affected by the onset of war, posters like these continued to promote leisure travel. However, as the war continued and fuel became rationed, the posters' focus shifted towards public information, staff safety and propaganda.