184 - Affiche Ancienne Extremely rare original vintage London Transport World War Two home front propaganda poster from the acclaimed series The Proud City, designed in 1944 by the distinguished British landscape painter and graphic designer Walter E. Spradbery (1889-1969). The illustration portrays the historic church of St Clement Danes on the Strand in London, with the main body of the church standing gutted by incendiary bombs; its iconic James Gibbs-designed steeple rises defiantly into a bright blue and white sky, with the bombed-out ruins of surrounding buildings in the background. The top text displays the main series title in stylised Persian script: The Proud City, the lower section features a descriptive title identifying the church, accompanied by a translated quote from the English poet John Gay's 1716 poem Trivia: Where the fair columns of St. Clement stand, whose straitened bounds encroach upon the Strand. Fair condition, tears, creasing, paper losses, staining, ink stamp on bottom edge. Country of issue: UK, designer: Walter E Spradbery, size (cm): 102x63, year of printing: 1944.