Jonny Hannah – Astroscout – Signed Limited Edition Screenprint 16/50 – Cakes & Ale Press – 2006

Description

A striking and highly characteristic original screenprint by Jonny Hannah, entitled Astroscout, produced through his Cakes & Ale Press in 2006.

The print measures 38 × 56 cm and is from a small edition of only 50 impressions. This example is number 16/50, signed and dated by Jonny Hannah in pencil along the right-hand margin, with the printed Cakes & Ale Press imprint immediately below.

Printed predominantly in deep blue, pale blue and white, the composition resembles the packaging for an imaginary mid-century space toy or pulp science-fiction novelty. At its centre stands the fantastical Astroscout, a mechanical-looking figure housed within a box-like construction emblazoned with:

ASTROSCOUT

and:

MYSTERY ACTION

Around the figure are characteristically Hannah-esque details: hand-drawn lettering, small cosmic devices, eccentric mechanical forms and a badge-like motif reading:

“FRIENDS OF ROCKET MAIL – NUMBER 1”

The whole image has the appearance of a rediscovered toy box from some parallel 1950s future — part tin robot, part comic-book advertisement and part fairground graphic.

Space Toys, Pulp Graphics and Popular Culture

Hannah has long drawn inspiration from popular and unpopular culture, jazz, folk art, shop signs, vintage commercial graphics and overlooked forms of vernacular design.

Astroscout sits particularly comfortably within that visual world.

The title itself recalls the vocabulary of post-war tin space toys, and surviving vintage packaging for a wind-up toy marketed as “Astro-Scout” demonstrates just how closely this kind of language was associated with mid-century mechanical toy design.

Hannah does not simply reproduce that material, however. He reimagines it through his own scratchy hand-drawn typography, flattened perspective and deliberately handmade screen-printed texture.

The result is less nostalgia than a fictional artefact: something that feels as though it might once have existed.

Early Cakes & Ale Press

The 2006 date is especially attractive.

By this point Hannah had already established the Cakes & Ale Press as the vehicle for his own limited-edition prints, books and printed ephemera. Contemporary writing describes it as a highly successful cottage industry through which Hannah published his screenprints and artist’s books.

His work from this period retains a particularly handmade character, often combining deliberately rough screen-printing, hand-drawn lettering and imagery derived from music, toys, popular graphics and imaginary brands.

The press remains central to Hannah’s work today, with galleries continuing to describe it as his personal outlet for books, posters, prints and other ephemera.

Edition

This example is:

16/50

from a total edition of only 50 copies.

The combination of early date, small edition and strong subject matter makes it considerably more attractive than a generic later Hannah print.

Artist

Jonny Hannah studied at Liverpool Art School and the Royal College of Art and has worked professionally as an illustrator, painter and printmaker since the late 1990s.

His work is distinguished by its combination of vernacular lettering, folk-art influence, jazz, Americana, popular graphics and imagined environments, while his Cakes & Ale Press acts as the publishing arm for his own limited-edition printed work.

Condition

Very good to excellent condition overall.

The blue and white screen-printed colours remain strong and clean.

The sheet appears well preserved, with only very slight handling or natural surface irregularity consistent with an unframed screenprint of this age.

The pencil signature, date and edition number 16/50 remain clearly visible along the right-hand margin.

Please study the photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the description.

Artist: Jonny Hannah
Title: Astroscout
Date: 2006
Medium: Original screenprint
Publisher: Cakes & Ale Press
Edition: 16/50
Signed: Yes, in pencil
Dated: 2006 in pencil
Size: 38 × 56 cm
Format: Original limited-edition screenprint
Unframed: Yes
Modern reproduction: No

Authenticity

This print has been handled, inspected and catalogued in-house at Hornseys.

The pencil signature, date, edition number and original Cakes & Ale Press imprint are all present and clearly visible.

It is an original signed and numbered screenprint from an edition of only fifty, not a later reproduction.

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At Hornseys, we are committed to offering original paintings, signed prints, illustrated books and related works by Jonny Hannah that meet high standards of authenticity, condition and visual quality. Our collection has been assembled carefully over more than fifteen years and reflects our long-standing appreciation of Hannah’s distinctive contribution to contemporary British art, illustration and printmaking.

Every item is individually examined, researched and catalogued before being offered for sale.

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EXPLORE OUR JONNY HANNAH COLLECTION

Explore our evolving collection of Jonny Hannah original paintings, signed and limited-edition prints, illustrated books and related artworks. His distinctive imagery, hand lettering and narrative style draw upon music, maritime culture, vintage advertising, folk art, popular entertainment and the visual character of British towns and seaside communities.

Whether you are an established collector, an admirer of contemporary British illustration or searching for an unusual and memorable gift, our collection offers the opportunity to acquire carefully selected examples of Jonny Hannah’s work.

Established in 1976 and based in Ripon, North Yorkshire, Hornseys is an independent gallery and bookseller specialising in original art, prints, design, collectable books and historic material. Every item is handled, inspected and catalogued in-house at our Ripon gallery.