W. E. Berry Ltd (1888 - 2004)
Dates
- Existence: 1888 - 2004
Biography
The W.E. Berry Ltd printing company was founded by William Edward Berry in the early 1900s after taking over his father’s printing company and splitting with his business partner. The original company had been founded by William Berry in 1888 at 13 Currer Street in Bradford to print advertising posters. Business soon started to specialise in the railway and entertainment sector, specially the circus industry and over time became one of the most significant printers of entertainment posters in the UK.
In the 1920s the company started to print posters for the film industry after W.E. Berry met Fred Martin at Paramount Pictures. This developed into a lucrative partnership with Berry becoming one of only three companies in Britain to specialise in printing large format posters. Successive contracts with Disney and Columbia arrived, turning Berry into one of the leading producers and distributors of film posters in the UK. Some of the most famous posters include Star Wars (1977) and Flash Gordon (1980).
The mid of the twentieth century saw the production of Berry’s most beautiful and sought posters in the entertainment sector and the company continued experiencing success until the end of the late 1990s when it employed around 140 people, including Chief Illustrator Leon Crossley and a team of freelance commercial artists. However, by the early twentieth century Berry’s fortunes started to turn and after heavy financial losses the company went into administration in 2004, ceasing business on the 4th day of February that year.
Found in 143 Collections and/or Records:
Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 24 - 29 May 1954
Edinburgh, Murray Fields. Colour illustration of chimpanzees in stripey clothes on bycicle and swinging bar on top section and elephant parade on bottom section on a green a yellow background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus and Menagerie Poster, 16 November - 5 December 1953
Birmingham, Greyhound Stadium, car park. Red and blue type on white background with red border. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd, Nesfield Printing Works, Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 1955
Tagora the human volcano, over 200 animals. Colour illustration of bare chested man wearing a turbant, spitting fire on the bottom right and his face on centre left on a blue, red and orange background, also yellow and red and white, black and yellow type. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 3 - 4 June 1955
Cheltenham, Sandford Park. Colour illustration of wild animals running on grass including elephants, lions, bears, polar bears, camels, llamas and cebras in a circle on the centre of the poster. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 20 December 1954 - 22 January 1955
Birmingham, Bingley Hall. Colour illustration of wild animals running on grass including elephants, lions, bears, polar bears, camels, llamas and cebras in a circle on the centre of the poster. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 3 - 4 June 1955
Cheltenham, Sandford Park. Colour illustration in a circle in the centre of the poster of dancing elephant wearing a pink tutu and woman also wearing a pink tutu in a circus ring. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 3 - 8 September 1956
Preston, Queens Road site. Colour illustration of dancing elephant and woman both wearing a hula skirt and flower necklace, in a circus ring. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus and Zoo Poster, 25 - 30 March 1957
Dewsbury, the Feast Ground. Tagora the human volcano. Colour illustration of bare chested man wearing a turbant and spiting fire and a large face of man wearing a turbant on top left, over a red and blue background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus Poster, 7 - 26 November 1955
Birmingham, Perry Bar stadium car park. Colour illustration of circus parade seen from behind heading towards a blue circus tent on a field. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's New World Circus Poster, 15 October - 3 November 1956
Manchester, Platt Fields. Eight Flying Croneras. Colour illustration of trapezee act showing eight artistes performing in mid-air ona blue and pink background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1960
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1961
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1951
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1958
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1964
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1936
Jenny and Piccolo elephants and clowns, Los Aseveras equestrian act, Sensational Berosinis high wire, Khayyam Troupe springboard acrobats, Sandor Karoly 5 equestrian act, 4 Famous Phillips equilibrists, Doodles, Nico and Alex clowns, 3 van Normans, Ballet d'Cirque, The Edmondos horeback juggler, Christian's poodles, Paul Paetzold and Co cycling comedians. Colour illustrations of an elephant, a man and a woman on horseback and an arabian palace and lake. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd.
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, c1933 - 1990
Alfred Court with his Monarchs of the Jungle, Flying Codonas, Maximilian Truzzi juggler, Karolly Troupe equestrians, Cooke's Pony Revue, comedy jazz and boxing ponies, Gordon and Lester comedy acrobats, Ilés and Loyal, Nico and Nico, Six Rolling Wonder Girls, Loretta Ballet, Doodles, 3 van Normans, Marton Sisters. Colour illustrations of a lion, tiger, polar bear, leopard, the 3 Codonas and a couple in Edwardian costume roller skating. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd.
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1943
Felix with his tigers and lions, The Cairolis musical clowns, Bertram Mills' Liberty horses, Coco the clown with Michael and Tamara, Victor Barna v Alec Brook table tennis champions, Rassana queen of the air, Jon high school act, The Circusettes, Doodles, Yangtse Chinese, Zola and Mattie, Mills' elephant ballet, Cavalini's canine comedians. Main background blue with white stars, type multicoloured on multicoloured background. First performance during wartime. Printed by W. E. Berry
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1940
Adele's Royal Assam elephants, Tommy Kayes with his lions, 7 Gridneffs unsupported ladder acts, The Dario Bario Family clowns, Pepino with his Miniture Circus, Emmy Truzzi with her Equine Revue, Rao Bros Indian bobbin act, 4 Balatons springboard performers, Les Filles de la Cheval ballerinas with horses, Doodles, Jix, Jax and Max, 3 Van Normans, Paul and Earl Rollo with Carole, skaters. Main background blue with white stars, type red and blue on white background. Printed by W. E. Berry
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1953
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 140
- Collection 3
- Subject
- Acrobats 24
- Aerialists 45
- Animal trainers 13
- Animals 106
- Art 1
- Boxing 1
- Business 2
- Circus workers 1
- Clowning 73
- Comedians 7
- Contortionists 5
- Dance 6
- Diving 1
- Dwarfs (Persons) 4
- Equestrians 23
- Escape artists 3
- Fairs 3
- Fakirs 3
- Family 2
- Fire eating 8
- Freak shows 3
- Gymnasts 4
- Human cannonball 1
- Jugglers 12
- Knife throwing 2
- Magic 4
- Male impersonators 1
- Menageries 12
- Mimes 1
- Minstrel shows 3
- Motion pictures 6
- Music 2
- Music-halls 3
- Musical performances 5
- Pantomime 7
- Performers 103
- Pierrot 2
- Puppets 3
- Ringmaster 4
- Ringmistress 1
- Showman 7
- Showwoman 5
- Singing 6
- Skating 10
- Strong men 6
- Strong women 1
- Stunt performers 1
- Sword swallowing 1
- Trampolinists 1
- Transport 1
- Travel 1
- Variety 7
- Ventriloquists 4
- Wall of death 1
- War 5
- Wild west 16
- World War, 1914-1918 1
- World War, 1939-1945 5
- Wrestling 7
- Zoos 2 + ∧ less