This 1960 co-op advertisement for the Natural History Museum and London Underground could be found on the walls of the city’s mass transit system. Notice the lack of a headline; you really need to read closely. But the vibrant colors and bold illustrations would be enough to catch the eye of any bored commuter. Especially in 1960, when advertising tended to be less creative, visually speaking.

In case  you are unable to read the copy, here’s how it goes:

A stone-age Picasso from Hitchin

Had a bison to ‘sit’ in his kitchin

He thought dinosaurs

Better kept out of daurs

What a pity he didn’t know about the life-size models in the Natural History Museum. Don’t make the same mistake, write for a Museums and Art Galleries leaflet to the Public Relations Officer, London Transport, 55 Broadway 5WI

FUN FACT: The Natural History Museum collection was originally housed in the British Museum. That is, until Sir Richard Owen campaigned to move it to a larger space in 1856. Owen was a controversial but brilliant naturalist who coined the word “dinosaur.” (Source: Natural History Museum website)