"HMS Dreadnought"   Lot no. 4237

On February 10, 1906, HMS Dreadnought, the world's largest battleship, was launched. Weighing 17,900 tons, this formidable floating fortress was 82 feet wide and 490 feet long. As swift as it was huge, the Dreadnought could reach unprecedented cruising speeds of 17.5 knots and a top speed of 21 knots. 

Brian Sanders was born in London in 1937, where he attended St. Olave's Grammar School, by Tower Bridge. His childhood, along with thousands of other children in London, was disrupted during World War Two when he was evacuated to the countryside. Sanders was sent to Saffron Walden in North Essex, close to where he now lives. Whilst still at school Sanders studied at the respected Sir John Cass College of Art in Whitechapel before embarking upon a junior career in advertising, however, in 1956 his career was interrupted by National Service. Serving in the Royal Marines he saw action during the Suez crisis, spending most of his service in and around North Africa and the Mediterranean.

In the final year of his service he worked in surveillance, largely due to his technical drawing skills. Sanders returned to London in 1959 and began working as assistant to photographer, Adrian Flowers (replacing Duffy who moved to Vogue). Flowers was a well-known photographer, working in advertising and as a portrait photographer for many celebrities at that time, including Twiggy and Vanessa Redgrave. Sanders assisted Flowers with background painting and visualizing, helping to secure major advertising accounts. This role provided the financial stability needed in order for Sanders to work on and build his portfolio before he was able to establish himself as a freelance artist. In 1959 Sanders joined Artist Partners, a leading London Creative agency set up in 1950. Based in Soho, it represented leading artists, illustrators, designers and photographers. He quickly came to the attention of founding partner Betty Luton White, who engineered commissions for major publishing houses, newspapers, advertising agencies, design groups, television, filmmakers and government institutions.

As a move to protect illustrators continually losing copyright and ownership of their work, in 1973 Sanders helped found the Association of Illustrators. As a Committee Member he went on to represent the A.O.I. in negotiations with T.U.C., The Whitford Committee on Copyright, The Publishers Association, The Incorporated Practitioners in Advertising and The Board of Trade. In 1985 Sanders and his wife Lizzie moved to join Brian Grimwood at the newly established Central Illustration Agency, based in Covent Garden. It's from this time that Sanders embarked on some extraordinary illustrations for more than 50 sets of stamps. Notable amongst these are the five sets of stamps representing the U.K. Police force, the Scout and Guiding movements and the history of World War II which alone took five years to complete.

In 2011, when Mad Men series creator Matthew Weiner, inspired by the painterly illustrations of the 1970s TWA flight menus, wanted a nostalgic image to promote the sixth season of the acclaimed series, he turned to Brian Sanders to produce an illustration for the series six poster and DVD packaging. Sanders continues to work today and remains a respected figure in the illustration world; through the sheer body of work he has completed during his extensive career, academic recognition due to his work as an assessor for various art schools and his professional contribution to the industry as a founding member of the Association of Illustrators.