Name/TitleColour print

About this objectThis shows boxes of fruit on carts and lorries being unloaded in a town square. To the right a man is carrying a pile of boxes on his head. The printed inscription at the centre bottom reads: 'Covent Garden Market- London'. A further inscription to the bottom left reads: 'Macmillans Geography Pictures'.

Ellie Alexander, Research Volunteer:
The Covent Garden Market print is part of a wider series of educational posters, produced by Macmillan Education Ltd, and this particular poster depicts the unloading of fresh produce in the town square.

The print itself displays the variety of goods which were sold and reflects how it was a hub of activity where fruit and vegetables, but also flowers, roots and herbs were sold from as early as 1670. The market was open six days a week, from Monday to Saturday and was only required to close on Christmas Day, therefore generating a great deal of activity and money. During the late eighteenth century it became known as the best market for produce in all of England, with 15,000 acres of market garden ground within 10 miles of London.

Created between the 1940s and 1960s, the poster would have likely been representative of the post-war era and the end of rationing, displayed by the abundance of food available for purchase. This was in stark contrast to the scarcity of food in Britain during the Second World War.

Although much of the area had been bombed during the War and many residents lost their homes, the remaining community pulled together in an effort to rebuild. Despite the new limitations on space, the market continued to flourish in the post-war era and boasted 5,000 employees by the 1960s who traded £75 million in produce each year.

Richard Hall, Research Volunteer:
A series of educational posters, from a larger collection, depicting agricultural and rural scenes of food production and harvesting from across the globe.

The company who produced the posters are known as Macmillan Education Ltd. The company was founded in London in 1843 and have grown to become one of the world’s largest suppliers of educational materials. According to the company’s website, the company was founded by brother’s Daniel and Alexander Macmillan with an aim of publishing the works of British writers, including; Tennyson, Hardy and Kipling.

You could also argue that these images promote gender stereotyping depicting the differing roles expected of men and women in the production of food. However, it is important not to lose sight of the period in which these posters were produced, judging them contemporaneously with everyday life at the time, rather than the way we might think today.

What we can learn from these posters is about how the world of food production has changed by the introduction of technology into farming and agriculture. Many of the tasks seen here, such as ploughing, milling and milking, required significant labour to complete. The same tasks today, thanks to modern technology, can be completed more efficiently and with less human effort than these images portray.

MakerMacmillan and Co Ltd

Date Madec1940-c1960

Periodc1940 - c1960

Inscription and Marksinscription:printed:bottom,centre:title: COVENT GARDEN MARKET, LONDON
inscription:printed:bottom,left: Macmillans Geography Pictures

MeasurementsHeight: 535mm
Width: 433mm

Object Typeprint

Object numberSTMEA:1989-4.200

Copyright LicenceAttribution - Non-commercial (cc)