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Old Bill and Beyond

The Art & Legacy of Bruce Bairnsfather, 7th Dec - 7th Feb 2025

Bruce Bairnsfather’s work humanised war and stood apart from traditional war art that glorified heroism or focused on dramatic battle scenes. His work highlighted the camaraderie, grievances and coping mechanisms of soldiers in a way that was authentic and realistic.

Through his publisher, 'The Bystander', many of Bairnsfather's cartoons became merchandised as china ornaments, although the artist himself was to make little financial gain from these.

This exhibition of selective works from the collection of the late Val Sawyer, a former museum volunteer and supporter of the museum, presents a wide variety of Bairnsfather merchandise incorporating his famous cartoons and character 'Old Bill'.