Edwin Embleton (1907 – 2000) was a commercial and graphic designer who is widely recognised for his work in the Publications Division of the Ministry of Information during the Second World War.Edwin J Embleton on the Archives Hub
His archive is located at the University of Brighton Design Archives.Edwin J Embleton Archive - University of Brighton Design Archives
Career
Early career Born in Hornsey, London, Embleton studied at Hornsey School of Art, finding work at a studio off Grays Inn Road, London. In 1924 he began work at Odhams Press as a layout and lettering artist before becoming Studio Manager.National Archives: The Art of War - Edwin Embleton
World War Two Embleton was seconded to the General Production Division of the Ministry of Information (MOI) at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, where he became Art Director and Studio Manager.King's College London - The Cartoon in Wartime Propaganda 1929-1945
Embleton managed a team of up to seventy staff members including painters, designers, illustrators, layout artists, typographers, calligraphers, cartographers, and cartoonists. Graphic designers Reginald Mount and Eileen Evans reported to Embleton at this time.Lomas, Elizabeth, Guide to the Archive of Art and Design, Victoria & Albert Museum, Routledge, 2001,
In charge of the graphic elements of all propaganda, Embleton commissioned work from whichever artists and designers he chose. They created a vast range of high quality material, which played an important part in Britain's war effort at home and overseas.Poster Subject Specialist Network 2013 Subjects included the British forces, the Home Front and the Empire, including leaflets in Afrikaans, Arabic, Hausa, Persian, Swahili and Yoruba.King's College London, Research Guide: Africa - PDF
Post War At the end of the war in 1945, Embleton returned to Odhams Press, and was awarded an MBE for his services to the war effort.Supplement to the London Gazette, 9 January 1946, p292
External links and further reading Imperial War Museum, collections listing - Edwin Embleton Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London - Edwin J Embleton papers Lomas, Elizabeth, Guide to the Archive of Art and Design, Victoria & Albert Museum, Routledge, 2001, National Archives - INF Records created or inherited by the Central Office of Information Osley, Anthony, Persuading the People: Government Publicity in the Second World War, Central Office of Information Publishing Services, 1995, V&A, Archive of Art and Design - Edwin J Embleton, Ministry of Information collection
References