Claude Buckle

Claude Henry Buckle R.I., R.S.M.A. (1905–1973) was an English painter well known for railway posters and carriage prints and also for very fine oil and watercolour paintings.

Claude Buckle had from an early age an enormous interest in art. He attended Grammar school in Wolverhampton and on leaving in 1922 joined Fry's Chocolates in Bristol as an assistant architect. During his time with Fry’s he was involved in the building of J. S. Fry & Sons factory at Keynsham Somerdale and was supported by Fry’s to study Architecture at Bristol University. He lived at Keynsham and Kent Road Bishopston in Bristol.

In 1926 Claude moved to London aged 21 and joined Wallis, Gilbert and Partners responsible for building the Ford factories at Dagenham.

He also painted in his spare time and became one of the youngest amateur members of the British Savages Art Group based in Bristol in 1930 after submitting four drawings. He contributed to the yearly exhibition until 1934. He found time to travel in France, Spain and North Africa using Tramp Steamers recording scenes that later formed many of the ideas for his water colours paintings.

At the age of 26 he left full-time employment to concentrate his efforts as a professional freelance commercial artist. He undertook commissions including hotel brochures and book illustrations.

One year later in 1932 he obtained his first railway poster commission at the Southern Railway HQ at Waterloo station from a Mr Beaumont and later other commissions through the publicity offices of the Southern Region under the P.R.O Don Falkner.

This was Buckle's big break and during the pre-war years and after the war until 1963 Buckle produced some estimated 85 posters and 25 carriage prints for the railways making him one of the most prolific and recognised railway poster artists. He was a close friend of Terence Cuneo whom he met frequently on travels around England recording scenes for the railway posters that were a common site on railway station platforms and booking halls. Both Artists have surviving artwork in the National Railway Museum NRM. However when the work started to dry up in 1963, following the Beeching Axe, Buckle relied more and more on the private market place to earn a living. On the advice of Terence Cuneo, he moved away almost entirely from oil painting to concentrate his efforts on watercolours.

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