ROGER COUILLARD (1910-1999) EMPRESS OF BRITAIN TO EUROPE / CANADIAN PACIFIC. Circa 1958. 36x24 inches, 91 1/2x61 cm. Condition B+: tape-repaired tear at upper left corner; small tears at edges; creases and abrasions at edges and in image; slight time-staining in upper image. Silkscreen. Paper. The Empress of Britain was the third vessel in the Canadian Pacific fleet to bear that name. The first was launched in 1906, the second in 1931, and the current ship took her maiden voyage on April 20, 1956. In the years following the Second World War, Canadian Pacific began painting their red and white checkered house flags on the sides of their funnels. Here, the artist emphasizes that design by covering the entire stylized hull with it. Couillard was a prolific commercial artist and native Montrealer who designed posters for Canadian Pacific, Canadian Steamship Lines, Canadian National Railways, the cities of Montreal and Quebec, the Canadian Department of War and others. Canadian Pacific p. 184.
