(NEW YORK CITY / OCEAN LINERS / CUNARD / POST CARDS.) Group of 6 travel images created for the S.S. Aquitania. Together, six original illustrations featuring the R.M.S. Aquitania itself, along with five vistas of city landmarks including Swan Bridge of Central Park, Castle Williams of Governor's Island, the Reservoir of Washington Heights, the Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, and the New York City Skyline, intended for advertising cards, circa 1914. Gouache, ink, and wash on stiff paper. Average size 133x220 mm; 5 1/4x8 1/2 inches. Captioned in ink, lower margins. Tipped to window mounts. Framed. Accompanied by a pencil mock-up of a post card back and paint sample sheet, presumed to be the size or layout of the design.
A charming group of original designs for a post card series that was never realized. The primary image titled "New Cunard Liner `Aquitania' 47,000 tons," dates the creation to around 1914 and shows the four-funnel ocean liner cruising the Hudson River with a hint of the New York City skyline in the background. These images were apparently intended for advertising and post cards, tempting passengers to enjoy the sights of the city from the deck of the third among the Cunard Line's trio of express liners, along with the Lusitania and Mauretania. Shortly after her maiden voyage in 1914, World War I broke out, whereupon she was used for troop transport and as a floating hospital for six years before returning to passenger transport again until World War II brought her to military service once more.
