LILLIPUT was
a small pocket size magazine - intelligent editorial material with
a dash of sauciness in cartoon and pin-up. It was designed, legend
has it, to fit into the trench coat pocket during sentry duty for surreptitious
reading. Stefan Lorant, the distinguished photo-journalist in exile
launched Pocket Publications in 1937.
The magazine in its first year had no advertising and lost money. The
magazine was sold to Edward Hulton who employed Lorant and Tom Hopkinson
to take Lilliput further in a more commercially realistic
way. Lorant (1901 - 1997) was shortly (1938) to become editor in chief
of the new Hulton publication, Picture Post, which was to rival the European
illustrated magazines of the 1930's and Henry Luce's LIFE.
Lorant
himself brought in the photographic comparison across the double
page, Chamberlain and the Llama. From the outset the magazine
commissioned the highest standards of photography and illustration.
Above I have chosen a few selected example to show the richness of
the visual content.
Walter
Trier's covers (nearly eighty in all) provided the consistent face of the
magazine. I have included material from London Opinion, a near rival
in the pocket magazine market.
See the
red squares beneath to view the material in my collection.
James
Boswell
The Four
Friends to verses by Lawrence Benedict; December 1948, p.43, 14 x 20cms.
June Wedding,
anon., June 1949, p.43,18 x 19cms.
heading
to a piece on the British cinema. February 1949 p.58, Nervy Birds in
a Gilded Cage , 3 x 5.5cms with a nice pastiche of the Rank Gong Symbol
used before all their films.
Leslie
Cole
illustration to Neil Paterson's short story The Life and Death of George
Wilson , July/August 1951, 16 x 19cms.. "George was a great gentleman
though undersized."
James
Fitton
illustration to Bill Naughton's short story Seventeen Oranges , Sept.1948
7 x 11cms.
The Insolence of Office , Oct.1948
Michael
Ffokes
from Raymond Postgate's article on a restaurant car, June/July 1953
p.100, 7 x11cms and reproduced at this cale to show the power of Ffolkes'
invention and drawing abilities.
Leonard
Rosoman
illustration
to Brian Clarke's short story The Face , June July 1953, 16 x 19cms
Andre
Francois
The Seven Deadly Sins
February 1947, pp.154-5. each 11 x 19cms.
Eric
Fraser
Fraser's
work for Lilliput is among his best - free of the need to incorporate
lettering - free of brand characters and other such impedimenta.
illustration to Howard Wilson's essay on Collecting October 1940 6 x
10cms
illustration to Ogden Nash's poem That reminds Me, The Face , October
1940, 3 x 10cms.
illustration to Leslie Halward's The Story of George Pandle , July 1940,
p. 15 ; 3 x4cms.
date unknown. c1937
Fritz
Wegner
illustrations to Roderick Milton's story The Return of Rene Darridan,
Oct/November 1953, 11 x 17cms. and 7 x 11cms
James
Holland
heading to an article by Alan Jenkins December 1950 6 x 10cms
John
Minton
illustration to William Sansom's essay on Lightning, Bolts from the
Blue , Sept.1948, p.35. 7 x 11cms.
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