During the economic depression of the 1930’s, worst in the first half of the decade, patronage of artists was reduced and even well-known painters such as Paul Nash were glad to be invited to make designs for textiles, ceramics and posters. After their marriage Clifford and Rosemary Ellis worked as partners, designing book jackets, decorating tiles, making ceramic statuettes, designing mosaics as well as posters. In 1931 and 1932 the Ellises designed two sets of five posters for the Empire Marketing Board. However the leading patrons of artists making poster designs in the 1930’s were probably the London Passenger Transport Board (formed 1933) and its predecessor, and Shell Mex and BP Ltd. Poster designs were commissioned by London Transport on the initiative of Frank Pick. The first of many by the Ellises was ‘Downland’, one of a series of four featuring different birds and their habitats. For Shell, Jack Beddingion made an adventurous and successful choice of artist including Paul Nash, Ben Nicholson, McKnight Kauffer, Barnes Freedman, Graham Sutherland, Edward Bawden and John Armstrong as well as the Ellises. In 1932 Shell commissioned a series of designs for ‘lorry bills’ — posters on the sides and backs of the firm’s lorries. Among these was the Ellises’ ‘Whipsnade Zoo by Car’ depicting wolves which was exhibited in Pictures in Advertising, New Burlington Galleries 1924 (among other posters by them). Clifford Ellis initiated the Shell ‘Professions’ series and he and Rosemary designed the posters ‘Anglers Prefer Shell’ and ‘Antiquaries Prefer Shell’ for the series in 1934. They also designed posters for the Post Office in the 1930’s and book jackets for Jonathan Cape. Amongst mosaics designed by the Ellises was a floor of a swimming pool shown at the British Art in relation to the Home exhibition at Dorland Hall, Lower Regent Street, in 1934, and their walls and floor of a bathroom were included in the British Art in Industry exhibition held at the Royal Academy in 1935. They designed and worked on site for the floor of the entrance hall of the British Pavilion at the Paris International Exhibition in 1937. The cartoon was made at their home at 97 Landsdown Road, Bath.. In 1936 Clifford Ellis left the Regent Street Polytechnic Art School take up the post of Assistant at the Technical College in Bath. The Art School there dated from 1852, and was one of 17 founded in Britain as a consequence of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Ellis was concerned with the Junior School, teaching art to 12-14 year olds preparing to enter local trades such as bookbinding, corsetry, painting and decorating, as well as training students for Ministry of Education art examinations, among others. In 1938 he was appointed Headmaster of the School of Art. Clifford and Rosemary joined the Bath Society of Artists towards the end of