In honor of labor day, here’s a fun series of illustrations showing all the labor necessary to make beer, in this case Guinness. In 1981, Guinness commissioned British illustrator and artist John Ireland to create twelve paintings whimsically depicting the steps that go into making Guinness beer for a calendar.
From the Guinness Collector’s Club website:
John was born on the 19th March 1949 at Aldershot Hants and attended Farnham Grammar school, Farnham Art School and finally Ravensbourne College of Art and Design. He lived and worked in London from 1971 until moving to Norfolk in 1976. John has two sons, two sheep, a dog and a wife Tessa and has worked as a freelance illustrator since leaving college, principally for magazines and publishing, with a little bit of advertising. In recent years. A lot of his work has involved caricatures including collections of sporting personalities and a weekly drawing for the TV Times for over nine years.
John [Ireland] writes:
“I had been asked a few years prior to 1980 to submit ideas for a Guinness Calendar but nothing came of it, and when I was asked to produce roughs for a W. Heath Robinson pastiche I was initially reluctant, suggesting I could do something in my own style. When it became obvious that they – J.Walter Thompson the advertising agency — were set on doing it their way, I decided that it was better I should do it rather than someone else mess it up and do Heath Robinson a disservice.”
“There were similarities in our styles, which is presumably why I had been asked in the first place. I had been interested in his drawings since I was a child, having bought his books at jumble sales. The whole job went amazingly smoothly and following a guided tour of the Park Royal Brewery, it was left up to me to decide on which elements of production I should highlight.”
“This is so unusual for advertising, normally you are presented with layouts that you have to stick to rigidly and all the copy has been written already. In this instance I even wrote the captions. My initial roughs were accepted with hardly any changes suggested. I only had to make the May drawing a little busier and ensure that wherever possible both bottled and keg beer should be depicted as apparently there was intense rivalry between the two divisions of the company. The barman in the December drawing is actually a portrait of Heath Robinson with his cat ‘Saturday Morning’ and the customer is my Father.”
Blogger Phil Beard, at his Notes on the Visual Arts and Popular Culture, also has a nice post on the series. These days John Ireland is best known for his caricatures.
John Ireland’s The Gentle Art of Making Guinness
January: Hop Picking Time in the Guinness Fields
February: Early Morning on the Guinness Farm
March: Industry in the Guinness Maltings
April: Roasting the Guinness Barley
May: Mixing the Guinness Mash
June: Filtering the Guinness Wort
July: Fermenting the Guinness
August: Bottling the Guinness
September: Signing the Day’s Production of Guinness
October: The Training of the Guinness Quality Testers
November: Delivering the Guinness
December: The First Guinness of the Day
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I have the 12 prints from that calendar that year. 100% original. They are beautiful! I believe they fetch approximately 90 pounds sterling per month. I’d never sell them!
I have the 100% original complete set. They have been kept together protected for the elements. Definately worth £1000, any realistic offers to contact@mattkane.co.uk. £1000 and they are yours.
In my pub I found 5 framed prints April, June, July, August and October some have slight water marks wondered if they have any value. Eagerly await your reply. Many thanks
John, I’m not really the person to ask. My interest in them was purely artistic. You’ll want to ask someone involved in Breweriana collecting. There is a Guinness Collectors Club. They may have an idea, too.
Hello, I also have a full and framed set of these prints. May I ask, where did you get your valuation as I have been looking to sell them but had no idea of their value. Thanks, Stephen.
Are these drawings from the 1981 calendar?
Um, isn’t that what I wrote in the first paragraph?
As an ex Guinness Representative I have a complete set of 12 and also a calender with ilustrating the 12 picyures. They are pristine condition and I would like to sell them. Any Offers?
i have full set of these too but slightly stuck together at side does anyone hav a value price roughly
ty :)
In a recient trip to Ireland I was able to pick up 4 of these prints (8″X10″) at the Guinness Factory but these were all they had. I would love to complete the set. Does anyone know where I can find the rest of the prints in this size?
This week on 9th January 2012 in a local auction I saw a job lot of 11 of the prints on hardboard and framed but not under glass. Not seen them before and really liked them. I successfully bid and got the lot for a total of £21.51. I dont know if I was just lucky or they are really of such low value. I hope its the first. Haven’t gone to pick them up yet but when I’ll see which one is missing and will then look out for it.