Posters of Early 20th Century Passenger Ships

In addition to photographs, the Still Picture Branch maintains several series of posters within its holdings. Recently added to the online catalog, series 85-P: Passenger Ship Posters, ca. 1906-1957 includes posters and schedules advertising European and U.S. passenger services for travel across the Atlantic and around the world in the early 20th century. Along with the images showing examples of ocean liners from the different companies, the textual information within the records emphasize the importance of travel speed on these long-distance voyages and highlight the various comforts offered by the passenger services, such as electric lights and entertainment.

Included below are select images from the series 85-P: Passenger Ship Posters, ca. 1906-1957. To view all of the posters and other items within the series visit the online catalog.

White Star Line, Mediterranean Service. Royal & United States Mail Steamers – Local Photo ID: 85-P-3 and NAID 101181214

Trieste to New York, Austro-Americana & Fratelli Cosulich – Local Photo ID: 85-P-17 and NAID 102278406

Norddeutscher Lloyd, Bremen, High-Speed Steamers – Local Photo ID: 85-P-5 and NAID 102251868

Hamburg-America, New York Line – Local Photo ID: 85-P-2 and NAID 101119056

Cunard Line, New York, Mediterranean, Adriatic – Local Photo ID: 85-P-1 and NAID 8065782

Lloyd Italiano, Office in Genoa and Naples – Local Photo ID: 85-P-12 and NAID 102252004

Along with the posters, this series also includes schedules for passenger ships. The 1906 schedule from the North German Lloyd Line, below, is typical of these records within this series, often including the name of ships, dates of voyage, and destinations.