Rex Whistler

Biography

Reginald John Whistler was born in England on 24 June 1905, in Eltham, Kent (now part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich), the son of architect and estate agent Henry Whistler and Helen Frances Mary, the daughter of Rev. Charles Slegg Ward, vicar of Wootton St. Lawrence.

He was a talented artist, producing murals, posters and illustrations used in advertising, books, and on Wedgwood china as well as a portrait painter. He was also a cusume designer for various plays.

When World War II broke out, although he was 35, Whistler was eager to join the army. He was commissioned into the Welsh Guards as a Second lieutenant in June 1940. He served in the Guards Armoured Division and was killed while serving on 18 July 1944, aged 39.

Beween 1931 and 1932, Whistler produced his Reversible Faces series for Shell that were used in their "You Can be Sure of Shell" press advertisement campaign, but he created many more of them. It is these that this page concentrates on.

Reversible Faces

To use this page, if using a cursor, put it over an image, to turn it back, move off of it. On a phone, tap on an image, to turn it back, tap off of it.