Nov 10, 2003 - Sale 1984

Sale 1984 - Lot 27

Price Realized: $ 2,185
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
OTTOMAR ANTON ST. LOUIS UND MILWAUKEE. Circa 1930.
331/4x231/2 inches. G. M. B. H, Halle.
Condition A-: minor creases and repaired tears in margins.
Built in 1929 these sister ships were clearly centerpieces of the Hapag fleet. They are presented here as "the largest German motor ships" in an archly Art Deco style. In spite of her beautiful Machine Age lines, the St. Louis went on to an ignominious role in history, when, in May, 1939, she sailed from Hamburg to Cuba carrying 937 passengers, most of whom were Jewish and escaping from the Nazi regime. Although most of the passengers held legitimate visas, political wrangling led to the ship being forbidden to land in Cuba and then forbidden to land in America. The ship sailed close enough to Miami for the passengers to see lights on the shore, and yet they all wound up back in Europe.