Jubilee Pool Art: Sarah Bell's Penzance lido print
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Sarah Bell's original Jubilee Pool screen print is hand-pulled in an edition of 12, on archival paper. Before you buy Jubilee Pool art for your own wall, compare original versus reproduction, edition details, A-series sizes, paper, mounting, framing and glazing as separate points.
Sarah Bell's Jubilee Pool art
Sarah lives and works in Penzance. She describes her Cornwall prints as coming from life here, and from happy times and special memories. The Jubilee Pool image belongs to that group: it was drawn by someone who lives in the town where the lido stands.
The Penzance lido as an art subject
Jubilee Pool's history as an art subject begins with the building itself. Historic England describes it as a 1935 design by Captain F. Latham. The building gives an artist clear, identifiable shapes to work with:
- The date: 1935, which fits the period style of the Lido Glamour images.
- The plan: triangular, so the pool reads clearly from the promenade or from above.
- The curves: painted concrete in the Art Deco style, giving strong edges for screen printing.
- The listing: Grade II since 4 March 1993, according to Historic England.
Those features explain why the iconic Art Deco lido keeps appearing in Cornish location art. We offer Sarah's artwork of the Art Deco Jubilee Pool as an artist-quality giclée print.
Original screen prints and giclée reproductions
The original is a hand-pulled screen print on archival paper, measuring 21 × 30 cm. The edition is 12, each signed and numbered. Sarah also puts the pool into Lido Glamour 2, a 1930s-inspired bather image whose original screen-print edition comprises 22 copies.
A giclée is something else. The Fine Art Trade Guild defines it as a digital fine-art print made from a computer file, normally using inkjet technology. So a giclée reproduction of Sarah's image is made by a different process from her screen print, and you should never assume one is the other.
What edition details tell you
An open edition has no declared limit on how many prints are made. A limited edition declares a maximum. The word giclée tells you neither which kind you are buying nor whether the piece is an original. The Fine Art Trade Guild recommends fewer than 850 prints worldwide for a limited edition, artists' proofs included. That is Guild guidance, not a limit of the printing technology.
A signature proves less than people think: artists sign open-edition prints too. Check the numbering, whether artists' proofs exist, and whether further authorised reproductions are planned. Those three points tell you more than the signature does.
Choosing a Jubilee Pool print size
The size you pick changes how the pool's triangle and curves read from across the room. We print the Jubilee Pool Penzance image in four A-series sizes, from A4 to A1.
A4 and A3 for smaller spaces
The A-series sizes follow ISO 216:2007. One thing to check first: an A-size can describe the sheet rather than the image, so a white border leaves a smaller printed area.
- A4: 210 × 297 mm, suited to a hallway, a shelf or a group of small pictures.
- A3: 297 × 420 mm, enough to hold a wall above a desk or a bedside table.
- Border: ask whether the stated size is the sheet or the image.
For a narrow wall I would go for A3. At A4 the pool works best grouped with other Cornwall prints.
Keep size apart from the other points when you compare versions of the artwork. Paper, edition status, mounting and framing are separate questions.
A2 and A1 for a larger print
Our A2 is printed on the 420 × 594 mm sheet set out in ISO 216:2007. It suits a chimney breast or the main wall of a living room.
A1, at 594 × 841 mm, is the size for a large open wall. It is the one I would choose if you want the curves of the pool to be seen from the doorway.
Paper and image quality across formats
The paper for Sarah's Jubilee Pool giclée reproductions is 220–230 gsm. The Fine Art Trade Guild's digital-print standard asks for at least 250 gsm, a substrate pH of 7–9 and lightfastness of at least Blue Wool Scale 6. Those are Guild requirements, not rules for every giclée, and certification of these reproductions is not established.
The paper surface also shapes the result. Coating, whiteness and texture change colour, contrast and how sharp the image looks. A smooth cotton paper can give a cleaner image; a textured one can feel more tactile.
A giclée starts from a photograph or scan of the original. How the file is prepared and enlarged matters, as do a paper-specific colour profile (an ICC profile) and a physical proof. Enlarging a small or compressed source can soften detail, which is worth asking about at A1.
Mounting, framing and displaying the print
How the print arrives decides what you still have to do before it hangs. Mounting, framing and glazing are three separate choices, and each one protects the paper differently.
Presentation options and window mounts
The Artist's House Gallery supplies the Jubilee Pool Penzance print in three ways:
- Rolled in a tube: for a framer who will flatten and mount it.
- Flat: ready for your own frame and mount.
- Window mounted: a card border that can keep the paper away from the glass, helping to avoid sticking and condensation problems.
Mountboard quality varies. The Fine Art Trade Guild sets four levels: Level 1 museum board is 100% cotton with no optical brighteners; Level 2 conservation board has at least 84% alpha cellulose and/or cotton and under 0.65% lignin. Level 3 can contain brighteners, and Level 4 may contain lignin and brighteners.
Framing for the type of print
The Guild's framing levels run from Level 1 Ultimate protection through Level 2 High and Level 3 Mid to Level 4 Low. It names Level 2 conservation framing as suited to limited-edition prints of moderate to high value. Anything affecting the artwork must be reversible, and self-adhesive tape is not permitted.
A window-mounted print is not necessarily supplied framed or glazed. If you want the piece mounted and framed in one go, say so when ordering. For the signed screen print, I would ask for Level 2 framing.
Glazing and room lighting
Clear glass, UV-filtering glass, anti-reflective glass and acrylic each behave differently. Judge the material and its stated protection separately. The FACTS GLZ-2000 standard defines UV-blocking glazing as blocking more than 50% of ultraviolet radiation in the 300–400 nm range.
The same print looks different in daylight, warm household bulbs and cool LED light. Judge its colours in the room where it will hang, not at the counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a giclée print different from a poster?
Not necessarily: a poster can be giclée-printed too, so the two terms are not opposite processes. Giclée names the printing method only. It does not guarantee a limited edition, an original or a given quality.
Can a limited-edition giclée be printed on demand?
Yes. The Fine Art Trade Guild allows a digital fine-art limited edition to be printed as individual copies. The total output, artists' proofs included, must not exceed the declared quantity.
Is a giclée print always on acid-free paper?
No. Professional cotton-rag inkjet papers can be acid- and lignin-free, but the paper specification establishes that, not the word giclée. Ask for the paper name before buying.