UNDERGROUND SIGN

Measuring 2.3 metres wide, this enamel sign demonstrates the early moves towards an integrated and world-renowned identity for the Underground. The centre bears the tiled ‘UndergrounD’ lettering set within the solid red disc, both of which began to be used from around 1908. By the early 1920s, this was superseded by the font and ‘bullseye’ roundel designed by Edward Johnston.

The sign’s references to the Bakerloo and Metropolitan Railways suggest that it is likely to have come from Baker Street or Paddington. Its design and the circumstances around the companies further suggest a date from the 1910s or early 1920s.