The Grey Horses (School Print)
Tom GentlemanOriginal ‘School Print’, The Grey Horses, by Tom Gentleman, and published by School Prints Ltd, 1946. The image depicts a village street scene in Hertford, with a horse drawn wagon labelled on the side 'McMullens Ales'. The boy in the foreground is said to be Tom’s son, the future artist David Gentleman. A higher resolution image file is available for viewing on request.
School Prints Ltd was set up in 1945 by Brenda Rawnley to supply original, high-quality contemporary art to schools. The project commissioned both well-known and emerging artists, with the lithograph printing undertaken by the Baynard Press. Each lithograph had a drawn frame so that the print could be pinned to the wall. In the words of the Victoria & Albert Museum, “the scheme was a unique attempt at giving children access to original works of art in a period of austerity”. More information about School Prints can be found here.