Poster; Paddington New Station, by Charles Sharland, 1913

This poster was designed by Charles Sharland for the Underground Electric Railway Company. It advertised the opening of Bakerloo Tube station at Paddington in December 1913. The new station, which linked the Great Western Railway with all parts of London, was one of the first to be designed with escalators instead of lifts. Sharland's section drawing reveals men, women and children using these new 'moving staircases' for a smooth interchange between rail and Underground. Although traditional in style, the poster effectively celebrates the modernity of the Underground and emphasises how electrical power transformed urban life at the beginning of the 20th century.