Art Deco Artists

Tom Purvis

Tom Purvis was a British painter and a commercial poster artist. He was born in Bristol, 1888; the son of a sailor turned marine painter (TG Purvis, 1861-1933). He studied at Camberwell School of Art and worked at an advertising firm before becoming a freelance designer. His work was influnenced by the Beggarstaff Brothers and many others. Most of his images were 2D clock colour posters. From 1923 to 1945 Purvis worked for the London and North East railway as a poster designer; he also designed posters for Austin Reed. He gave up poster design after the second world war. He gave up poster designing to paint portrait, and in the last few years of his life he painted religious pictures. He died in 1959.