Christies expecting works by Paul Henry to attract big bids

Vintage posters advertising Ireland to British tourists are expected to fetch over €1,000 each at an auction in London today.

The 10 lithographs, including three by the painter Paul Henry, date from the early decades of the last century and feature attractions such as Wicklow, Kerry, and "Southern Ireland" in general. The sale includes a number of posters commissioned in the 1920s by the oil company Shell, depicting Killarney's Devil Island and the River Liffey.

The Paul Henry posters advertised Connemara, Lough Derg and Wicklow in the 1930s for Britain's National Railways, which were trying to tempt middle-class travellers to use their services.

The auction house Christies expects intense interest from private collectors, according to spokesman Mr Rik Pike: "We hold a travel poster sale every year now because of the popularity of them.

"They are something that are a huge hit with private collectors, either people who live in the area they depict or who have actually holidayed there themselves.

"The posters are fantastically bright, attractive and aesthetically pleasing and they are also quite rare."

The Irish posters will be among a total of 200 lots going under the hammer.

The Henry trio are expected to attract some of the biggest bids, with his view of Wicklow given an estimate of £800-1,200.