Jonny Hannah – G-Man Automatic – Signed Limited Edition Screenprint 11/50 – Cakes & Ale Press – 2006

Description

A highly distinctive original screenprint by Jonny Hannah, entitled G-Man Automatic, dating from 2006.

The work measures 63.6 × 43.8 cm and was issued in a limited edition of 50 impressions. This example is number 11/50, signed and dated 2006 by Jonny Hannah in pencil, with the numbered edition device and Cakes & Ale Press imprint clearly visible at the lower right.

The composition is dominated by an oversized, retro-futuristic toy ray gun rendered in Hannah’s characteristically rough, hand-drawn style. Across the body of the weapon appears the wording:

G-MAN
AUTOMATIC

alongside a small illustrated figure and additional graphic details.

Below the gun is a separate red label reading:

Kay Bruce
Toy Shop
Lunderstine

with a small KB device.

The restricted palette of black, red, ochre, blue and pale grey gives the image the appearance of a piece of vintage toy packaging, pulp advertising or mid-century novelty graphics.

Toy-Gun Imagery and Popular Graphics

The subject draws strongly on the visual culture of mid-century toy pistols, space-age novelties and children’s packaging.

The exaggerated gun form, fictional branding and lettering all evoke the kind of commercial imagery once used to sell tinplate and plastic toy weapons, detective sets and science-fiction novelties.

Hannah does not reproduce a known toy or advertisement literally. Instead, he creates an imagined object that feels completely plausible within that visual world.

The result is both nostalgic and slightly surreal: a fictional product from a parallel version of 1950s or 1960s popular culture.

“G-Man”

The phrase “G-Man” has longstanding associations with American law-enforcement mythology, gangster films, pulp fiction and mid-century popular entertainment.

In Hannah’s hands, however, it becomes part of a playful toy-brand identity rather than a literal political or law-enforcement reference.

Paired with the word “Automatic”, the title has the punchy commercial rhythm of a product name — exactly the sort of language once found on toy boxes, comic-book advertisements and novelty catalogues.

Kay Bruce Toy Shop

The red Kay Bruce Toy Shop label is particularly interesting in the context of Hannah’s work.

The name appears elsewhere in his toy-shop imagery, including the Kay Bruce Toyshop screenprints, where Hannah builds elaborate fictional retail environments around robots, magic tricks, action figures and novelty goods.

Its appearance here links G-Man Automatic to that same broader imaginary commercial world.

The small label functions almost like a retailer’s sticker attached to the product, strengthening the illusion that the viewer is looking at a real vintage toy advertisement or catalogue illustration.

Screenprint Technique

This work is an original colour screenprint, not a later photographic or digital reproduction.

The screenprinting process allows Hannah to combine areas of flat colour with deliberately irregular hand-drawn line and lettering.

Small variations in ink density, registration and printed texture are intrinsic to the process and contribute to the handmade quality of the work.

The relatively large format gives the ray-gun image considerable visual impact and allows the detail in the typography, simulated labels and graphic marks to be appreciated clearly.

Date and Edition

The work dates from 2006, placing it relatively early within Hannah’s independent printmaking output.

This example is:

11/50

from a limited edition of only 50 impressions.

The combination of early date, strong toy imagery, fictional retail branding and signed limited-edition status gives the work particular collector interest.

Condition

Very good to excellent condition overall.

The printed colours remain strong and well balanced, with good contrast throughout the black, red, blue and ochre areas.

There is only light natural handling and minor paper irregularity visible, consistent with the age and handmade nature of the screenprint.

The pencil signature, 2006 date and edition number 11/50 remain clear and legible.

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

Artist: Jonny Hannah
Title: G-Man Automatic
Date: 2006
Medium: Original colour screenprint
Edition: 11/50
Edition size: 50
Signed: Yes, in pencil
Dated: 2006
Size: 63.6 × 43.8 cm
Imprint: Cakes & Ale Press
Subject: Toy guns / retro-futurism / fictional commercial graphics / Kay Bruce Toy Shop
Format: Original limited-edition artist’s screenprint
Unframed: Yes
Modern reproduction: No

Authenticity

This work has been handled, inspected and catalogued in-house at Hornseys before being offered for sale.

The pencil signature, date, edition number 11/50 and Cakes & Ale Press imprint are all clearly visible.

It is an original signed and numbered Jonny Hannah screenprint from an edition of only 50, not a later reproduction.

SHOP WITH CONFIDENCE AT HORNSEYS

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.