# Frank Newbould artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/frank-newbould/
Profile generated: 2026-05-27T20:39:06.452Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1887-09-24
- Death date: 1951-01-01
- Nationality: British, English
- Movements: British poster design and commercial graphic art, early-to-mid 20th century
- Common media: posters (lithographic prints), graphic design

## About Frank Newbould

Frank Parkinson Newbould (1887–1951) was a British graphic designer and poster artist best known for his bold, colour-saturated travel posters and his wartime propaganda work for the British War Office during the Second World War. Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, Newbould trained at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in London before establishing himself as one of the leading commercial poster designers of the interwar era. His work for London Transport and major railway companies helped define the visual language of British travel advertising, favouring simplified shapes, strong outlines, and vibrant palettes. During the war he served as assistant to Abram Games in the War Office, producing public-information posters. Newbould's designs are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the London Transport Museum, and other public institutions. Collectors most often encounter his original lithographic travel and wartime posters at auction.

## Common works and media

The works most frequently encountered at auction and in collections are original lithographic travel posters commissioned by London Transport, the London & North Eastern Railway, and similar railway and shipping companies. His Second World War War Office propaganda posters also appear regularly. These are typically large-format colour lithographs on paper. Original prints rather than later reproductions are the primary appraisal targets. Occasional smaller graphic-design commissions and book-jacket designs may also surface.

## Market and appraisal context

Frank Newbould's work appears at auction primarily as vintage lithographic posters, with his travel-advertising and wartime commissions being the most sought-after categories. Condition is the dominant valuation factor: intact margins, minimal folding, strong colour registration, and absence of restoration all significantly affect price. His London Transport and railway posters were printed in large quantities, so rarity depends more on survival rates than original print runs. Provenance linking a poster to a notable collection or institutional source can add meaningful value. Appraisal should use comparable poster-auction results rather than fine-art painting benchmarks, and unsigned or unattributed works require additional provenance documentation.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum records, library authority files, and scholarly sources with publicly documented auction records, auction-house catalogue descriptions, sale dates, realised prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Frank Newbould, identity data is drawn from the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, and the London Transport Museum collections record. Market observations are general and based on publicly documented poster-auction patterns rather than appraisals of any individual work.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/488196
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5488644
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Parkinson_Newbould
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/123062782/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500159282
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/8385
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2018175843