Let's toast to the New Year with Lemon Hart Rum!

Searle illustrated the Lamb's Navy Rum and Lemonhart Rum ad campaigns for 11 years, between 1951 and 1962. The ads appeared at every scale from small black and white print ads, to coasters, shot glasses, posters and multi-story hoardings.

Searle's work appeared on huge billboards around London at sites such as this at Monument. Imagine seeing Searle's drawings 4 storeys high!

 

 

SIGNED AND INSCRIBED 'HAVE A GOOD RUM FOR YOUR MONEY'
PEN INK AND WATERCOLOUR WITH BODYCOLOUR 16 X 12 INCHES

Published as an advert in Punch, 17th May 1961

The following 4 images were photographed from Searle's own collection of Lemon Hart ephemera.

Here are a couple of interesting images that appear to be storyboard panels for an animated Lemon Hart Rum ad.  I asked Mr Searle if he could shed any light on them:

"So far as I remember I did two or three 30 second spot storyboards for them. Larkin Studios, London, realised them, for the cinema, I guess - about 1952. There was also an 'in the round' spot made in Amsterdam, by a studio called Dollywood (!)"

The drawing is inscribed in the lower margin “one of many basic key drawings for an animated advertising firm [for Lemon Hart Rum] Drawn in 1952 (& never meant to see the light of day) - signed in 1981: Ronald Searle for Allan Cuthbertson.

SIGNED AND 'INSCRIBED 'A WORKING DRAWING – NOT FOR REPRODUCTION BUT MADE AS A GUIDE FOR FILM ANIMATION. DRAWN 1952. SIGNED 1981 AT THE REQUEST OF ALLAN CUTHBERTSON' BELOW MOUNT
PEN AND INK 7 3/4 X 10 1/4 INCHES

"How To Make Rum Drinks Like A Pro." 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" eight page booklet with colorful graphics prepared by Don The Beachcomber in the 1950s.

Mr. Lemon Hart’s Tropical Treats – Virginia Heffington (1973)    

Promotional box in the collection of the Cartoon Museum, London.

These are 4 large format posters exhibited by the Deutsches Museum für Karikatur und Zeichenkunst - Wilhelm Busch in Hannover.  Ronald Searle had kept them stored for over 40 years hence their still vivid colour and fine condition.

From the International Poster Annual 1962 courtesy of the Vintage Poster Blog.

Rough sketches from the Searle Archive, Hanover.