Reginald Percy Gossop

Reginald Percy Gossop (1876-1951)  was an apprentice at a wallpaper and fabric designer in London. Whilst there he studied art at Birbeck College and Hammersmith School of Art. From 1896 to 1902 he was a designer and freelance illustrator.From 1902 - 1904 he was Studio Manager for Spottiswoode and Company, and from 1904 for W H Smith, where he worked with notable artists, such as Henry Ospovat. He designed Smith's famous logo. After visiting America in 1913 he became the first art editor for British Vogue. In addition to work for London Transport he designed a booklet cover for Cadburys and designed posters for Heal and Son.In 1914 he became art adviser to Dobson Molle and Co., an Edinburgh firm of printers. From 1916 until the end of the First World War he worked at the Ministry of Information. At the end of the war he became joint manager at Carlton Studio.In 1923, Gossop set up his own firm of artists' agents, R.P. Gossop Ltd. Clients included Hanslip Fletcher and Eric Fraser. He continued as a freelance designer and illustrator, with commissions including designs for the Empire Marketing Board. In 1926 together with Milner Gray he founded the Society of Industrial Artists. He also served on the Council of the Design and Industries Association. and in 1927 he wrote the book "Advertisement Design" published by Chapman and Hall Ltd which includes a section on decorative maps. From 1938 he lectured at the City of London College. After he died in 1951 his daughter continued to run the business. - London Transport Museum