There have been 3 major exhibitions at the Atkinson art gallery in Southport relating to Dan Dare, Eagle & Frank Hampson. The first (and biggest) was in 1990, the most recent has closed and then there was another big exhibition in 2000.
The photos below were all taken at the (50th anniversary of Eagle) exhibition in 2000...
Plenty of original art was on display...
Merchandise associated with Dan Dare and original art...
Spaceship models used for reference in the production of the Dare strip
Props used in the production of the Dare strip - some are now in the permanent collection of the Atkinson
In 2000 the Eagle Society (more details here) organised a trip to the spiritual home of Eagle, Southport, part of the trip included going to the Bakery (so named as it was the site of a former bakery) where the very earliest issues of Eagle had been produced by Frank Hampson and his team.
Here's Peter Hampson standing outside the Bakery, as you can see it's a bit of a ramshackle, lean-to sort of building.
Here's Chad Varah (the gent wearing the hat), founder of the Samritans, and early Eagle writer at the Bakery.
Eagle related clippings inside...
A glimpse inside the Bakery
In 2000, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of the original Eagle, members of the Eagle Society (more details here) met in Southport (Eagle's spiritual home). One of the highlights of the weekend was a trip to Southport college where Frank Hampson had studied art.
Society members below, outside the college
There was also the opportunity to view some display boards that the college had erected in recognition of their successful alumni...
The last I'd heard the display boards were no longer on, well, display (but I'd love to stand corrected!) so I present them here just as a record of them.
This is the extract from the college record books and shows the entry to Frank Hampson.
So, he failed his NDD [National Diploma in Design] Illustration at King George V Grammar school [I'm guessing a bit here] and then off to Hulton Press at the inception of Eagle and then the brief note that he'd been recognised as the 'best comic designer of the world'. That's some progress!
Peter Hampson, Frank's son, has revealed that the Atkinson in Southport (here) are planning a major exhibition dedicated to all aspects of Frank Hampson's work - starting on 15th September and carrying on into March 2019. This period will cover the centenary of Frank's birth.
Beyond this details are unknown at this stage but more details should start to emerge soon, after all it's only 5 short months away!
For more on the world's best public Dan Dare collection head here
Here are some images from the 1990 exhibition that the Atkinson hosted...
Flyer
Window display, reconstruction of a rocket ship and entrance signage
Toys, original art and books on display...
