Schweppshire, County of - Schweppes (c.1960s)
Year: Undated (c. early 1960s)
Format: Print Advert
Illustrator: George Him (1900-1982)
Client: Schweppes
Details: This illustration was designed for use as an advert in 'Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage' in the early 1960s. The print appears to have been taken from a book, possibly 'Schweppes: The First 200 Years' - I have cropped the image down but the full page can be seen in image 4.
The illustration features the coat of arms of Schweppshire, a fictional county that featured in adverts for Schweppes from 1951. I recognised the image from a version used on a promotional ashtray. The Schweppshire campaign continued for 14 years with illustrations created by George Him (1900-1982).
George Him was born Jerzy Himmelfarb in Poland. Him studied law in Moscow and earned a PhD from Bonn in the comparative history of religions. He then enrolled at the Leipzig Academy for Graphic Art.
Him was working as a freelancer until he met Jan Le Witt (1907-1991) in 1933. They began a long collaborative partnership that brought them to the UK. They produced work for clients including the Festival of Britain, London Transport and Imperial Airways, as well creating children’s books.
The partnership ended in 1954 when Le Witt decided to concentrate on abstract painting and stage design. Him continued to work as a graphic artist, creating work for companies such as Schweppes, El Al and Penguin Books. Him went on to teach graphic design at Leicester Polytechnic from 1969 until 1977.