Gregg Dietrich, Christie’s vice president and specialist for maritime, ocean liner and scientific

A.M. Cassandre, “Normandie,” c. 1935, lithograph backed on linen.

works of art, cites another reason for the appeal: Many collectors can trace their family history back to someone who arrived in America by ship, and they see that ship’s memorabilia as a connecting link to their past.

The golden age of the ocean liner began in 1907, when the British Cunard Line launched the Lusitania and the Mauretania. It would continue until the onset of World War II, with a hiatus during World War I. The Lusitania was one of the casualties of that war, sunk by the Germans in 1915. The unprovoked attack on civilians (1,198 lives were lost) turned formerly neutral nations against Germany and would eventually propel the United States into the war.

Following the war, transatlantic travel for the wealthy once again a leisurely multi-day affair with accommodations equaling a those of a fine hotel. Sailings were glamorous events with ships floodlit for midnight departures, champagne flowing freely at bon voyage parties and lounges filled with couples in evening clothes dancing a lively foxtrot to the music of Cole Porter or Irving Berlin.

The 1920s saw an aging fleet and several countries seeking to build the next superliner. The North German Lloyd Line launched the record-breaking Bremen (1929) and Europa (1930) while the Italian Line added the Rex (1932). But the ships that would dominate the sea lanes prior to World War II would be the French liner Normandie (1935) and Cunard’s regal Queen Mary (1936), the pride of the British shipping industry.

A wide range of objects can be classified as “ocean liner material”—from deck plans and sailing schedules to Art Deco furniture and artworks. For the beginning collector, ephemera—or paper goods—may be the best introduction. A selection of 60 pieces from the postwar American liner United States sold at Swann Galleries in New York in 2006 for $480 (est. $400–$600), and a smaller group of 25 pieces from the Lusitania and the Mauretania brought $1,593 (est. $350–$500). The price differential reflects the greater desirability of prewar material due to scarcity and higher levels of quality and workmanship. But surprisingly, there is little price distinction between first-class, cabin-class and tourist-class ephemera; the one exception is passenger lists, where the appearance of a celebrity name adds cachet and value.