A vivid advertising poster for Sri Lanka and its tea

A large and colourful poster map of Sri Lanka, with vignettes of the island's tea production, wildlife, landmarks and history. The surrounding seas have ships, fish, a large compass rose and two female windheads in the bottom corners. The head on the right has been identified as Priscilla Johnston, Gill's muse and second wife, as well as a successful novelist. This poster was commissioned in 1933 by the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board in an attempt to win back customers lost to coffee. Gill was helped with the content by John Still, secretary of the Ceylon Association, who also wrote a explanatory booklet. This is an undated later issue, after the opening of the Ceylon Tea Centre in Regent Street in 1946, when that company took over publication of this map. but is still uncommon due to the ephemeral nature of the publication. Leslie MacDonald Gill (1884-1947, known as Max), younger brother of Eric Gill, specialised in graphic design in the Arts and Crafts style. His most important commission was from the Imperial War Graves Commission, designing the script used on Commission headstones and war memorials, including the 'Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme'. His 'Wonderground Map of London', originally drawn as an advertising poster for London Electric Underground Railway Company in 1914, was such a success it is credited with saving the 'UndergrounD' advertising campaign.