The year 1989 marked the 150th anniversary of the creation of Samuel Cunard's shipping company and of the placing of the order for the Britannia - the very first ship to provide a time-tabled steamship service across the Atlantic.
Cunard had a pioneering spirit tinged with caution. While he was prepared to take risks to establish a service no-one else would contemplate, he was cautious enough to ensure it was underwritten by an Admiralty contract for carrying the mails. He went for financial stability, no frills - so while other Lines rushed to provide marble bathrooms and steam operated gadgetry, he concentrated on profits to reinvest. He strictly demanded of his masters safety not speed - so as other companies saw ship after ship founder and thousands drown, Cunard Line can still proudly claim an unparalleled record of never having been responsible for the loss of a single passenger in peace time. And the result of Samuel Cunard's guiding hand? The company that provided the very first scheduled crossing of the Atlantic is today providing the last.
The intervening years have been eventful. The Company has survived slump and boom, has carried millions of service men to war, taken even more millions of oppressed and desperate and hopeful immigrants to a new life in a New World, has ferried thousands of GI Brides to the new husbands and new lives, has given birth to some of the most famous names in shipping history. Names like the Mauretania, the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth and now the QE2. Names that are commemorated in this portfolio of prints.
The set consists of six prints signed by the captains or commodores of the corresponding vessels and is limited to 850 sets. Ships depicted are
RMS Britannia
RMS Mauretania
RMS Aquitania
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Elizabeth
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
All prints have an overall size of 17" x 13.5". The set is priced at £75 + carriage and the individual prints are available for £20 + carriage.
The set was originally published for Cunard and exclusively sold on board their ships and is now available through ourselves.