1935 FRENCH CLASSIC ART DECO NORMANDIE CGT FRENCH LINE LINER
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1935 FRENCH CLASSIC ART DECO NORMANDIE CGT FRENCH LINE LINER:
$349.99
France, 1935 \" Compagnie Générale Transatlantique Launch of theNORMANDIE \", art medal,68mm 145gr, in bronze, by VERNON,in very fine condition as scanned some surface wear, rim nicks, edge marked bronze with horn of plenty* (Paris mint).
One of the most famous Art Deco medals, a Classic and must have for any collector !
Bibliography : Metal pensant 1998A p67 (see scan below).
@@@ EZ & HASSLE FREE TRANSACTIONS FROM PARIS TO TEXAS OR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD @@@
The Normandie was a French ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France. When launched she was the ship of superlatives - the largest, fastest, and arguably the greatest ocean liner of all time. She was the first liner ever to surpass 60,000 tons (70,000 and 80,000 as well), first to surpass 1,000 feet in length, and the first ship to make an Atlantic crossing with an average speed of over 30 knots.
The luxurious interiors of the Normandie were marvels of Art Deco and the Streamline Moderne style. Many of her sculptures and wall paintings made indirect or direct allusions to Normandy, the province of France for which she was named. Drawings and photographs from the era show a series of vast public rooms of great elegance. The children\'s dining room was decorated by Jean de Brunhoff, who covered the walls with Babar the Elephant and his entourage. Indeed, the interior was quite dazzling but perhaps the most dazzling was the first class dining room. Three hundred and five feet long, 46 feet wide and 28 feet high, this was by far the largest room afloat. It could seat 700 diners at a time with 150 tables, serving them with some of the best meals in the world. This ship was a floating promotion of the most sophisticated French cuisine of the period. However due to the design of the ship, no natural lighting could get in. The designers illuminated the room with twelve tall pillars of Lalique glass and along the walls stood 38 columns equally bright. In addition, two chandeliers hung at each end of the room. From this gorgeous display of lights came the nickname \"Ship of Light\".
A popular feature was a cafe which led to the grand salon, one of the most popular rooms onboard which would be transformed into a nightclub during voyages. In addition, the Normandie boasted both an indoor and outdoor pool (the second ship to have one, after the Italian liner Rex), a chapel and a theater which could function as both a stage and cinema.
The interiors were filled with long perspectives and spectacular entryways such as long, wide staircases in order to give a suitable frame to the many upper middle class ladies who saw an Atlantic crossing as a way to show off their clothes and jewels, and sometimes their husbands.
In addition to a novel hull shape which made it possible for her to attain her great speed at lesser power expenditure than that of the other big liners, the Normandie was filled with technical feats. She had turbo-electric engines which eliminated the massive gearing of other liners and made control and maintenance much easier. The machinery of the top deck and forecastle, normally an eyesore or an annoyance for passengers on the other liners, had been integrated within the ship, concealing it completely and releasing nearly all of the exposed deck space for the passengers\' use. An early form of radar was installed to detect icebergs and other ships. She was the first liner to have a gyroscopic compass system.
Compagnie Générale TransatlantiqueFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The poster Normandie (1935) is one of Cassandre\'s most famous designsThe Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (shortened to \"CIE. GLE. TRANSATLANTIQUE\" and commonly named \"Transat\"), known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established in 1861 as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, the poor state of which was painfully highlighted during the Crimean War of 1856. Its first vessel, the S.S. Washington, undertook her maiden voyage on the 15th of June 1864. Aside from operating ocean liners, the company also had a significant fleet of freighters.
Although never a dominant player in the trans-Atlantic ocean liner trade (in 1907 and 1908, when immigration to the United States was its greatest, the company\'s share of the market was a mere 10%) and not possessing ships of either great speed or size, it became renowned during the early 20th Century for its luxuriously appointed liners. The most notable of these early ships was the S.S. France.
Although its fleet sustained substantial destruction during the First World War (with a third of its ships being destroyed), the company recovered during the post-war period, with several famous ships entering service. In 1927, the S.S. Ile de France, the first ship to be styled in Art Deco, undertook its maiden voyage.
Although passenger numbers and revenues plumetted during the Great Depression, the company was, with the help of a generous government subsidy, able to finance the construction of what must be considered the most famous vessel in the history of the company, the S.S. Normandie in 1935. At the time of completion, the ship was the largest in the world and also the fastest, capturing the Blue Riband from the Italian liner, the S.S. Rex. Her Art Deco interiors were legendary and her streamlined hull design was years ahead of its time. Unfortunately, however, the ship was never a commercial success and her career was ended by a fire during in 1942.
Although the company again experienced significant losses during the Second World War, it again flourished during the post-war period. Liberty ships joined the freighter fleet and the liner fleet was boosted by the addition of the Liberté, the former German liner S.S. Europa, which had been awarded to France as reparations.
The advent of commercial air travel in 1958, however, was to spell disaster for the French Line\'s passenger ships. Despite the launch of a new Flagship, the 66,000 ton S.S. France in 1961, passenger demand slumped as no ship could match the convenience of plane flights that could transport passengers in a matter of hours, whereas by ship it would take several days. The ocean liner fleet became dependent on government subsidies, which were finally withdrawn in 1974. The fleet was subsequently mothballed.
In 1977 the company merged with the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes to form the Compagnie Générale Maritime.
The last surviving CGT ocean liner, the SS France, known to many as Norwegian Cruise Line\'s Norway is currently (2006) beached in Alang, India awaiting of the ships of the French Line include
- S.S. Washington
- S.S. Paris
- S.S. France (1912)
- S.S. Ile de France
- S.S. De Grasse
- S.S. Liberté (formerly the German S.S. Europa)
- S.S. Normandie (1932-42, then re-named U.S.S. Lafayette by the American Navy who damaged it beyond repair in New York)
- S.S. France (1961) (later re-named S.S. Norway)
Antique Lamp ==> from March 30th 1832 until October 21st 1841 (on gold & silver only).
Anchor ==> from October 21st 1841 until September 25th 1842.
Ship Prow ==> from September 26th 1842 until June 12th 1845.
Pointing Hand ==> from June 13th 1845 until October 1st 1860.
Bee ==> from November 1st 1860 until December 31st 1879.
Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty) ==> from 1880 until now.
L@@K AT MY sales FOR OTHER GREAT MEDALS @@Interests/Themes keywords : Art medal, Ocean Liners, Maritime, Ship, Bateau, CGT, Paquebot, sea Horse. ABOUT US
We are professional sellers running a family business, the first in the family who started to sell medals was, about 70 years ago, Maître Albert de Jaeger, he was an Artist, a Sculptor and Medallist he received the Premier Grand Prix de Rome (1935) for his medallic art, he created hundreds of medals and other art objects.
In our sales and store, you will find a wide range of World Art Medals and Historical Medals. Beautiful medals, highly collectable and great Gift ideas. We hope you will enjoy your visit to our store !
French registration of commerce :SIREN 510858699
.
1935 FRENCH CLASSIC ART DECO NORMANDIE CGT FRENCH LINE LINER:
$349.99