Lowry Prints and Lithographs

There are 54 signed limited edition prints and 17 black and white original ganymed signed limited edition lithographs;

Approximately 26 unsigned, Lowry limited edition prints; many of these unsigned limited edition prints do not have much investment value,

but several were published whilst Lowry was still alive; eg. Man looking out to sea, The Park, Lancashire Cricket, and have become quite sought after.

and many open edition, poster prints of decorative value only.

The signed, prints have an embossed stamp, by the Fine art trade guild, or that of the publisher; eg. Street scene, Mrs Swindell's picture

A few titles are simply signed and numbered,eg. Figures in the Park, Our Town

Several titles bear Lowry's personal signature and are numbered in pencil, along with the publisher's stamp; Burford church, great Ancoats street, St. Mary's Beswick

Three titles published by The Sunday Observer, eg. 'Mill scene', 'Level crossing' and 'Market scene' are simply signed in pencil by Lowry,

but not stamped or numbered, although they are limited edition prints (editions of 750).

A brief biography and history of L.S. Lowry.

L.S.Lowry viewed the world around him in a serious yet sensitive way. His querky personality saw the ordinary things that most people take for granted or indeed miss altogether, and he brought this insight into his paintings in a way that many people

could understand and reflect on. His incentive was not for power, glory or financial gain, he simply saw and portrayed in his paintings, people of all ages and all sizes moving and acting in ways that he found utterly fascinating.

Sometimes, and indeed often the scenes painted were quite sad and oppressive, such as 'The Fever Van' or 'Industrial Town'or 'Industrial scene,

sometimes almost comical, eg. The Cart, Man lying on a Wall, Woman with Beard, the noticeboard, the contraption.

After finishing his more traditional studies at art college, Lowry gradually developed his own unique style.. Simply by painting what he saw around him everyday.

The roads, streets, people, factories, and the industrial panoramas of the great northern

towns and cities were rich feeding grounds for Lowry who became focused on expressing a way of life that had rarely been considered.

He saw the smoke bellowing out of the factory chimmneys. Day and night the noise from the machines in the factories wcould be heard for miles.

The constant to and fro of workers trudging along the cobbled streets after their 18 hour shifts.

Initially Lowry focused on the factories and the machines that were creating this way of life, but gradually he became intensley interested in the people he saw everyday,

the different characters and personalities that grewas a result of living in such an environment.

These days, Lowry's paintings have been nationally recognized of great artistic importance as a period in British history that not only transformed the country, but touched thousands of lives.

His large industrial paintings can easily achieve several million pounds, and by all accounts they are set to continue to be investments of the highest order.

His signed, limited editions have moved alongside the original artwork and over the years we have seen a good increase in the value of his signed, prints.

Being more affordable than the original paintings, Lowry's signed limited editions have becomevery sought after,

and coupled with the fact that most are around 50 years old and many are now damaged lost, or destroyed, only a fraction of the original edition remains.

Laurence stephen Lowry was born in 1887, and was brought up in the reasonably respectable area of Victoria Park, Manchester.

His father died in 1932 leaving debts and he was forced to leave Victoria park for the poorer industrial town of Pendlebury.

His mother became bedridden and Lowry spent many years looking after her, painting only in the evenings once she was asleep.

Lowry's mother died some seven years later and Lowry painted 'The Bedroom in Pendlebury' where he had spent so much time caring for his mother.

It was in the 1930s that Lowry eventually came to develop his own unique style that we are so familiar with today.

Had it not been for the move to Pendlebury, he would not have witnessed first hand, the industrial mills in action day and night.

The long hours, hard work and squalid living conditions that the people all around him suffered in order to survive.

Lowry's interest turned more from the industrial buildings and machines to the individuals that he would see everyday, all around him.

Fascinated, yet shocked, and in awe, by the resilience that could be seen of the men, women and children that had become a part of this life.

Lowry's paintings portrayed everyday life, from 'Peel Park' to a disturbance in the 'Industrial scene' and 'The Fever Van'.

Lowry loved to go to the coast, and in particular the north-east. He would often stay at the Seaburn Hotel in Sunderland, and enjoy sketching the ships passing through the harbour.

One of his finest paintings to be published is 'Berwick-on-Tweed'. He would travel along the north-east coast, and occasionally visit the south of England .. Burford in Oxfordshire, and Deal on the south coast.

By the 1960s Lowry had firmly established himself as one of Britain's foremost artists.

Publishers would chase him relentlessly, and in all he produced around 54 different titles as signed limited edition prints.

Which for an artist of his stature these days is very few, bearing in mind that most of the prints are 40 - 50 years old and many will have been lost, damaged or in unrepairable condition.

Prices for Lowry's signed limited edition prints show no sign of slowing down.

For example, I have recently seen offered for sale a signed limited edition print of 'Going to the Match' for £45,000.

