Glamour on the High Seas

By: Doris Goldstein

June 2007

Each night the sun sank right in our eyes along the sea, making an undulating glittering pathway, a
Maison Gerard Ltd., New York.

Jean Dupas, set of five panels depicting
the Chariot of Thetis, c. 1934, verre églomisé.

golden track charted on the surface of the ocean which our ship followed unswervingly until the sun dipped below the edge of the horizon, and the pathway ran ahead of us faster than we could steam and slipped over the edge of the skyline—as if the sun had been a golden ball and had wound up its thread of gold too quickly for us to follow,” recalled Lawrence Beesley, a Titanic survivor, in his 1912 book The Loss of the S. S. Titanic. This maritime tragedy would continue to fascinate the world in general but hold particular allure for collectors of ocean liner memorabilia.

“Collectors view ocean liners as the ultimate romantic fantasy, symbols of glamour and luxury,” says Richard Faber, a New York private dealer who sells ocean liner memorabilia. Owning a link to the golden era of passenger ships is one reason why collectors stream into Christie’s New York and bid on ephemera such as the painted cast-bronze house flag and name board from one of the Titanic’s lifeboats. It was the top lot at last year’s sale at $72,000, against a $50,000 to $70,000 estimate. This year’s sale was scheduled for June 28.
Gregg Dietrich, Christie’s vice president and specialist for maritime, ocean liner and scientific
Christie's Images Ltd. 2007.

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. At the 2006 International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show, New York gallery Maison Gerard
Chrisite's Images Ltd. 2007

House flag and name board from a lifeboat
on the R.M.S. Titanic, c. 1912, painted cast-bronze.

exhibited a set of five verre églomisé panels depicting the Chariot of Thetis that formerly graced the Grand Salon of the Normandie. Designed around 1934 by Jean Dupas, they carried a price tag of $575,000 and were a glorious reminder of the great liners that once plied the Atlantic. “It is the last remaining large section of this mural containing all the figures and is extremely rare,” says gallery co-owner Gerard Widdershoven.

Shipping posters were displayed in travel agencies to catch the eye of prospective passengers so they had to be “boldly graphic,” says Faber. The most famous is a depiction of the Normandie by A.M. Cassandre. “It is a spectacular image by the greatest poster artist of the 20th century,” says Jack Rennert, president of Posters Please Inc., which holds May and November auctions in the International Poster Center in New York. “It shows a view of the ship’s hull rather than
the side, and that was a new perspective.” At Christie’s last June, a 1935 example brought $38,400 (est. $20,000–$25,000).

“Collectors weigh four factors, an appealing image, artist, rarity and condition,” Rennert continues. He describes an appealing image as a close-up of elegantly dressed passengers reclining in deck chairs or playing shuffleboard. Among the desirable artists are Johann von Stein, Henri Cassiers and Paul Colin. At its last November sale, Posters Please sold a 1901 Red Star Line poster by Cassiers for $4,140 (est. $4,000–$5,000).

Ephemera from ill-fated ships are of special interest. At Christie’s last June, a plan of first-class accommodations for the Titanic dated December 1911 brought $21,600 (est. $15,000–$25,000), an exhibition standard waterline model of the Italian Line’s Andrea Doria (1951), which sank off Nantucket in 1956, sold for $13,200, far above its estimate of $4,000 to $6,000.

The Normandie is another example. On May 29, 1935, 50,000 people lined the docks in Le Havre to see the ship embark on her maiden voyage to New York. It was the most lavish vessel of its time, with luxurious interiors created by France’s leading designers and artists. “She was a showcase for French Art Deco,” says Dietrich. New York gallery DeLorenzo currently has a gilded chair with original Aubusson upholstery from the Grand Salon for about $60,000 and a Christofle silverplate wine cooler for $3,250. Last June Christie’s sold a group of Lalique glasses from the ship’s private suites for $7,200 (est. $3,000–$5,000) and Christofle first-class flatware place settings for $16,800 (est. $12,000–$18,000).

In 1942 the Normandie caught fire. The ship was salvaged and restored but capsized in 1945. Deemed too expensive to salvage a second time, she was scrapped. Author Ludwig Bemelmans wrote her eulogy: “I loved her for her gaiety, for her color, for the familiarity with all the world that was in her passenger list.”

Doris Goldstein is an Art & Antiques New York correspondent and a veteran “100 Top Treasures” reporter.FOR MORE INFORMATION

►Christie’s
New York, 212.636.2000.
www.christies.com

►DeLorenzo
New York, 212.249.7575.

►Maison Gerard
New York, 212.674.7611.
www.maisongerard.com

►Nautiques
South Rygate, Vt. 800.558.7134.
www.nautiques.net

►International Poster Center
New York. 212.787.4000.
www.postersplease.com

►Richard Faber Jr.
New York. 212.228.7353.

►Spink
London, 011.44.020.7563.4009.
www.spink.com

►Swann Auction Galleries
New York. 212.254.4710.
www.swanngalleries.com

►The Titanic Museum
Indian Orchard, Mass. 413.543.4770.
History of the ship and collection of surviving artifacts, including Mrs. Astor’s lifejacket and the lookout’s rendition of the fatal iceberg.
www.titanichistoricalsociety.org