LILLIPUT was a small pocket size magazine - intelligent editorial material with a dash of sauciness in cartoon and pin-up. It was designed, legend has it, to fit into the trench coat pocket during sentry duty for surreptitious reading. Stefan Lorant, the distinguished photo-journalist in exile launched Pocket Publications in 1937. The magazine in its first year had no advertising and lost money. The magazine was sold to Edward Hulton who employed Lorant and Tom Hopkinson to take Lilliput further in a more commercially realistic way. Lorant (1901 - 1997) was shortly (1938) to become editor in chief of the new Hulton publication, Picture Post, which was to rival the European illustrated magazines of the 1930's and Henry Luce's LIFE.

Lorant himself brought in the photographic comparison across the double page, Chamberlain and the Llama. From the outset the magazine commissioned the highest standards of photography and illustration. Above I have chosen a few selected example to show the richness of the visual content.

 

Walter Trier's covers (nearly eighty in all) provided the consistent face of the magazine. I have included material from London Opinion, a near rival in the pocket magazine market.

See the red squares beneath to view the material in my collection.

 

James Boswell

The Four Friends to verses by Lawrence Benedict; December 1948, p.43, 14 x 20cms.

June Wedding, anon., June 1949, p.43,18 x 19cms.

heading to a piece on the British cinema. February 1949 p.58, Nervy Birds in a Gilded Cage , 3 x 5.5cms with a nice pastiche of the Rank Gong Symbol used before all their films.

 

Leslie Cole


illustration to Neil Paterson's short story The Life and Death of George Wilson , July/August 1951, 16 x 19cms.. "George was a great gentleman though undersized."

 

James Fitton


illustration to Bill Naughton's short story Seventeen Oranges , Sept.1948 7 x 11cms.


The Insolence of Office , Oct.1948

 

Michael Ffokes


from Raymond Postgate's article on a restaurant car, June/July 1953 p.100, 7 x11cms and reproduced at this cale to show the power of Ffolkes' invention and drawing abilities.

 

Leonard Rosoman
 

illustration to Brian Clarke's short story The Face , June July 1953, 16 x 19cms

 

Andre Francois


The Seven Deadly Sins
February 1947, pp.154-5. each 11 x 19cms.

 

Eric Fraser

Fraser's work for Lilliput is among his best - free of the need to incorporate lettering - free of brand characters and other such impedimenta.
illustration to Howard Wilson's essay on Collecting October 1940 6 x 10cms
illustration to Ogden Nash's poem That reminds Me, The Face , October 1940, 3 x 10cms.
illustration to Leslie Halward's The Story of George Pandle , July 1940, p. 15 ; 3 x4cms.
date unknown. c1937

 

Fritz Wegner


illustrations to Roderick Milton's story The Return of Rene Darridan, Oct/November 1953, 11 x 17cms. and 7 x 11cms

 

James Holland


heading to an article by Alan Jenkins December 1950 6 x 10cms

 

John Minton


illustration to William Sansom's essay on Lightning, Bolts from the Blue , Sept.1948, p.35. 7 x 11cms.

 

 

COVERS BY WALTER TRIER

MORE WORK BY WALTER TRIER

COVERS BY OTHER ARTISTS

COVERS BY BRUCE ANGRAVE FOR LONDON OPINION