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 147 Collections and/or Records:
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1955
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1956
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, c1950 - 1959
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
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1952
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1963
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1957
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1954
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1938
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1939
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1939
15 Devils of the Forest presented by Alfred Court big cat act, Emmy Truzzi equestrian act, Cairoli Trio clowns, Lou Lenny with her kicking mules, 7 Martinettes acrobats, Omega Trio, equilibrists, Doodles clown, Cavalini's canine comedians, 3 Van Normans, The Great Wallendas high wire. Main background is blue with white stars, main title in yellow, type in red and blue on a white background. Printed by W. E. Berry.
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 144
- Collection 3
- Subject
- Acrobats 25
- Aerialists 48
- Animal trainers 14
- Animals 110
- Art 1
- Boxing 1
- Business 2
- Circus workers 1
- Clowning 75
- Comedians 9
- Contortionists 5
- Dance 6
- Diving 1
- Dwarfs (Persons) 4
- Equestrians 25
- Escape artists 3
- Fairs 3
- Fakirs 3
- Family 2
- Fire eating 8
- Freak shows 3
- Gymnasts 5
- 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 107
- 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