Cunard to Liverpool via Cobh (Queenstown) - 1920s

Front Cover, Cunard to Liverpool via Cobh (Queenstown) - 1920s Brochure from the Cunard Line.

Front Cover, Cunard to Liverpool via Cobh (Queenstown) - 1920s Brochure from the Cunard Line. GGA Image ID # 1178bb03da

Superb interior photographs of the Cunard Line steamships Carinthia, Franconia, Laconia, Samaria, and Scythia makes this an excellent brochure from the 1920s. The uniqueness of this booklet is greatly improved by the inclusions of context with photo captions.

SHIPS... AND A ROUTE OF MOUNTING POPULARITY

WHEN we moderns do by any chance stop for a moment and begin to long for date-less days, for hours with no social or business obligation penciled against them, we naturally think of Europe.

We want to play; and that's the place to do it. We want to get on a great ship, and go somewhere. We want to meet attractive people and eat interesting food. And be waited on beautifully by Experience in brass buttons.

We want to lounge in deck chairs, and play strenuous deck tennis, and go swimming in a Pompeiian pool, and dance. Above all, we don't want to hurry.

Those who are wise in the cultivation of this precious sense of leisure, who have, perhaps, tired a little of the Express way to Europe, give this Firm and definite advice. Go over by the Liverpool route.

Land in the very center of that scenic England of which Thomas Hardy and Mr. Wells and Mr. Galsworthy and the earlier George Eliot taught us the meaning before we ever thought of seeing it.

Start your motoring through the beauty spots of Great Britain the minute your automobile is rolled off the boat. ... Or take the train ... there will be further advice about these advantages in later paragraphs.

Again. Those whose wisdom is founded on travel knowledge realize the privilege afforded by this Liverpool way to England and the Continent.

The Cunard Line has assigned five very fine ships indeed to this particular service... five very luxurious ships ... the Carinthia, Franconia, Laconia, Samaria, and Scythia.

Each has a tonnage of 20,000 . . . which means that each is big, and steady. The latter three, Laconia, Samaria, Scythia, become cabin ships while on the Liverpool route . . . which means one can sail for as little as $152.50!

Experienced travelers who like the cabin idea appreciate that if is seldom possible to associate it with ship aristocracy of this absolutely modern type. During the off season for north transatlantic travel all five are super-luxury cruising ships, going to the Mediterranean, West Indies, Africa, South America, North Cape, and Around the World.

Ship aristocracy, in this instance, means many things. Space, for one important item. If you have a head for figures you will realize what it connotes to have the whole width of a ship for two decks given over to a sports arena covering 5,000 square feet.

This extends through two decks of the Carinthia and Franconia, and is about the largest area devoted to such uses on any vessel afloat. That many square and cubic feet given over to a swimming pool, squash racquet court, and a gymnasium are sufficient to convince the most sluggard mathematician of the generous size of these ships. And of the fun you consequently can have on them, which also, is something to think about.

After you have digested these magnificent statistics about areas and all that, make a note that, attendant on these swimming pools, are instructors who are well known professionals. The men responsible for the racquet courts are British "pros."

The gymnasia are under the active supervision of experts who know everything there is to know about the exercise regime correct for your special physical equipment. All of which is one more proof of the advantage of traveling on ships designed as first-class sea-going hotels for the winter cruises.

Ship aristocracy also means the kind of lounge rooms you have when you visit your butler- accustomed cousin on Long Island. Dining rooms as wide and long and high and well ordered as a socially accepted restaurant on Park Avenue.

Staterooms with very correct beds. And baths which are contemporary in the most efficient sense of the word, both as to those urbanities which we term conveniences, and those refinements which we call decorations.

The lounge rooms include not only the circular-ceilinged English paneled rooms most accurately described by that engaging title, but the huge smoke rooms. That on the Carinthia is done sumptuously after the Toledo residence of that greatest of Greek-Spaniards, El Greco, the painter. That on the Franconia from historic data on the Mermaid Tavern at Rye, where there were certain goings- on by one Will Shakespeare and Chris Marlowe.

Also the lounge rooms include those port and starboard, en-gardened and be-flowered deck spaces where there are wicker chairs and tables, and sprightly printed linen cloths for the morning bouillon and afternoon tea. These are cleared for dancing in the evening.

The staterooms on these Liverpool Route ships are done by fastidious Oxford-and-Regent-Street London decorators, as are all those of the Cunard fleet. Some have walls paneled in gray moiré silk. Very chaste, with Napoleon-purple silk formally draping the double window.

The portholes are eliminated. The carpet is purple and Directoire. The twin beds have a night table between them. The spreads are crewel-embroidered, on linen. Another has walls of striped silk, buttercup-yellow silk curtains, yellow and blue carpet.

The private bath has a monumental tub, of veined marble. Nor Queen Elizabeth nor the Sun King of France knew anything like this. These are the de luxe staterooms. But they do exceptionally charming things with prints and chintzes in the others . .. beds with tester effects and side draperies.

And always the comfort of hot and cold running water, of bedroom- size arm chairs in those fabrics the British are so clever about, and night tables, and commodious bureau, and silk comfortables. Everything that conforms to the gracious, modern idea of what a guest room ought to be.

Then. About the advantages of going to Europe the Liverpool way. After you land, it invites you to a romantic mood; and romance is still vital to us crabbed mortals.

Everybody loves the English country, the quiet meadows, the trim hedges, the picture-book cottages. If you want to motor, the roads are grand. If you want to take a train, that is another delightful experience.

If you want to see Scotland, the Lake country, the Burns country, the Sir Walter Scott country, starting from Liverpool is a strategic approach. If you want to do a bit of golfing, take along a letter from the secretary of your home club, stating your handicap. That makes a friendly start. You can play for a moderate greens fee on various courses.

Or take a run down through North Wales, through famous Chester. The oldest house was built in 1591. Sweet cottages . . . old-fashioned gardens ... splendid roads. Divert your course a little.

There is a handsome drive along the sea to Llandudno. This is a popular Welsh seaside resort, animated with visitors from the North of England and The Midlands. You will see some Arnold Bennett types. And hear 'em. And like ’em.

Or go straight on from Chester. See the funny little narrow street in Shrewsbury, where the houses almost meet over the top. Try the celebrated Original Shrewsbury Cakes. Then to Stratford- upon-Avon.

Try to remember when Shakespeare was born, and how many different ways he signed his name. Now you're ready for Oxford, after a glimpse of the Melton Mowbray hunting country, or Cambridge. Or both.

You know all about the old buildings. You have read your semi- biographical British novels. And so to London.

Or you might have a look at Ireland, disembarking in this case at Queenstown. Dublin is a gorgeous city. Go shopping for fine linens. You know Ireland's reputation in that line. Poke around and find, perhaps, a bit of silver luster, or genuine old Irish silver. Buy some of that clear, cream- colored, thin pottery at the Belleek works, near Ennis Killen.

Watch the salmon leaping up the falls of the Erne. Find out how easy it is to kiss the Blarney Stone near Cork. Then, if you like, go on into Wales. And, again, so to London. There are all sorts of delightful possibilities, when you start your European trip via the Cunard Liverpool Route.

Interior Photographs

The Franconia Smoke Room

The Franconia Smoke Room. GGA Image ID # 1178c6292b

By the width of the fireplace you can gauge the size of this room. Here the atmosphere is Old English. You think of ale. And toasted cheese. And old inns. All of which is the correct attitude, because the Franconia smoke room is a physical record of what the Mermaid Tavern at Rye, England, was like in days when Shakespeare and Marlowe honored it with their attendance.

General View of the Great Smoke Room on the Carinthia

General View of the Great Smoke Room on the Carinthia. GGA Image ID # 1178f704de

The full-page reproduction at the right gives a general view of the great smoke room which proves that the life of that colossal Greek-Spanish genius, called variously Theotokopulous, Theotocopuli and El Greco, was not all tragedy. It had its bright spots, as is evident from this facsimile of the house in which he lived and had his being. Mullioned windows, beamed ceiling, wide, deep, and substantial chairs.

View of the Carinthia Smoke Room

View of the Carinthia Smoke Room. GGA Image ID # 117967abf2

In the Carinthia. This arch is twelve feet high, which gives an adequate idea of the proportions of the room. It is faced with brilliant Spanish tiles. This untimid color is supplemented by an original embroidered panel. The armor is real and so is the grate, which burns cannel coal. The room is a reproduction from El Greco’s Spanish home.

The Franconia Squash Court

The Franconia Squash Court. GGA Image ID # 1179875775

A very important unit of the sports arena which will be appreciated by the active members of the Racquet Club who have ample opportunity to keep up their game on the way across. It is professional in its construction and is in charge of an expert. It has a balcony where non-players may sit to watch the game.

The Franconia Pool

The Franconia Pool. GGA Image ID # 11799ea023

After you have wielded your racquet, or had your electric canter, or played some holes of deck golf, either in the Carinthia or Franconia, then you get into your Lido shorts and plunge into the classic magnificence of a swimming pool which is everybody’s luxury. The bas relief of The Discus Thrower is a symbol of the way one should look if one is keeping fit. Incidentally it is a grand time to learn to swim, under a competent instructor.

The Franconia Gymnasium

The Franconia Gymnasium. GGA Image ID # 1179b901e8

Active men and active women who know about these things will give the gymnasium of the Franconia their respectful admiration. They will put in some strenuous time there, because they will realize the perfection of the equipment. Besides, with electric horses and bicycles and rowing machines, it is a lot of fun. And there is a seasoned instructor to give you your correct regimen.

English Georgian Lounge in the Franconia

English Georgian Lounge in the Franconia. GGA Image ID # 117a1e1b22

The lounge of the Franconia has the circular dome which immediately establishes it as English Georgian. The details are classic, which means that they derive from the hectic awakening of the eighteenth century to the chaste loveliness of ancient Greece. But more important than the refined and correct ornament of this big room is its area, its comfortable chairs of historic shape and modern springs, and big windows.

Verandah Café on the Franconia

Verandah Café on the Franconia. GGA Image ID # 117a4bf3e4

One of the Franconia’s many friendly lounging places. This is an enclosed sun room with a view of the ocean. Or it is an open piazza, according to the weather, and whether the windows are open or shut. Bouillon and biscuits at eleven. Tea at four. Cards at any time. Dancing in the evening, under coloured electric lights. At any hour of the day it is practical and agreeable. The ship’s gardener looks after the growing plants.

Franconia Card Room for Bridge Players

Franconia Card Room for Bridge Players. GGA Image ID # 117a89a812

The Franconia architects have been intelligently aware of the importance of cards on any trip, long or short. They have provided ample room and very superior equipment. Note the long windows veiled from the light of the deck promenade. In the center of the picture, if you are interested in such things, is a reproduction of a chair with the back hollowed out to accommodate the full-bottomed wig. The tables are of a smart type equally practical for bridge, hearts, or any variety of card game.

The Peacock Deluxe Stateroom on the Franconia

The Peacock Deluxe Stateroom on the Franconia. GGA Image ID # 117ac38948

This is a B-deck stateroom de luxe in the Franconia. It is one of the many in the ship which have private bathrooms. It is the chintz idea done very perfectly. The innovation of windows in place of portholes makes it possible to carry out with absolute verity the guestroom premise upon which these modern staterooms are founded. The use of the plain silk coverlet is sophisticated and interesting in contrast to the busy motif of the charming walls and curtains.

The Carinthia Dining Room

The Carinthia Dining Room. GGA Image ID # 117ad1babf

The long table in the background is weighed down with the most sumptuous food. This is the celebrated Cunard cold buffet. Everything is en forme. Everything is delicious to eat. There are boars' heads that look like sculptures in rich chocolate. There is galantine of chicken. There is every version of the "in aspic" idea. It is like a magnificent still-life painting by Rembrandt. Except that the artist is the Carinthia's chef.

A "Run of the Ship" Stateroom on the Carinthia

A "Run of the Ship" Stateroom on the Carinthia. GGA Image ID # 117b54bf2a

This is in the Carinthia. It is not one of the super-elegant rooms, which makes it all the more valuable as an illustration of what the average traveler may anticipate. Observe how prettily it is done. Draperies of printed fabrics. A boudoir-size arm chair. A smart, bright carpet. Flowered comfortables. Night stands. Hot and cold running water.

The Scythia Smoke Room

The Scythia Smoke Room. GGA Image ID # 117b9432d8

A dark paneled, conservative room. It has that sense of decorum which is so ideal a background for cards or general relaxation. Because it indicates that you can have a game in quiet. There are so many other lounging spots in these ships that it is possible for a smoke room to remain in character. It doesn't get chatty until tea time. And then everyone is ready for the causerie. It is eighteenth century English in concept.

A Smoke Room with Inglenooks on the Laconia

A Smoke Room with Inglenooks on the Laconia. GGA Image ID # 117b9de6f5

This is the Laconia. Here is sturdy old England brought back in spirit to contribute to the happiness of those who want to exchange their reminiscences and smoke their smokes in the sentimental environment of an earlier century. The hospitable atmosphere of a more leisurely day sustained in a ship provided with every luxury and comfort that modern ingenuity can contrive. It is a rather superlative combination.

The Laconia Smoke Room

The Laconia Smoke Room. GGA Image ID # 117ba77d2d

A detail ... but what an explanatory detail ... of the smoke room which has been copied, with such understanding affection, from an old English inn, at Rye. This recess is only a third of the room’s width, which gives a pretty accurate notion of the generous floor space allotted to the whole room. And of the area of a ship which can afford to give this number of feet to one of its lounge rooms. Of course it is late seventeenth century in type. The Jacobean, bulbous-legged refectory table and the early, fringed arm-chairs are particularly fine reproductions of the period.

The Laconia Outdoor Cafe

The Laconia Outdoor Cafe. GGA Image ID # 117bbc1277

The illustration above gives further assurance of the outdoor life it is possible to live in the handsome ships which Cunard has assigned to the Liverpool route. These garden lounges are alike in their country house appeal, in their popularity with passengers, in the liaison they make between an ocean view and interior luxuries.

Garden Lounge on the Scythia

Garden Lounge on the Scythia. GGA Image ID # 117bce2170

Here again is the attractive suggestion of growing plants. Of amiable hours without telephone interruption. Of those days on shipboard where you don’t have to do anything unless you want to, yet where there is plenty to do if you like to go where things are more animated. From the window the view is always changing. When you tire of the sea, turn your armchair around and you are within a trellised garden enclosure.

The Samaria Foyer

The Samaria Foyer. GGA Image ID # 117bcf418c

The photograph gives an excellent idea of the general architectural plan of the ship. Always the main companionway gives the impression of a grand stairway, with the contemporary note in the pretty little elevator which becomes the lift in England. Long corridors lead to the big general rooms. Everywhere there is cheerful lighting. Everywhere there are ferns and flowers.

The Scythia Lounge

The Scythia Lounge. GGA Image ID # 117c15a429

This is a particularly pretty room, with the light coming through the glass-domed ceiling. It is full of charming late eighteenth century furniture. Shield-back Hepplewhite chairs. And cane chairs of the type Mr. Sheraton made for the famous architect, Robert Adam. More than any of the illustrations, this is explicit as to what the Scythia’s gardeners provide in the way of fresh flowers.

The Laconia Lounge

The Laconia Lounge. GGA Image ID # 117c17f870

Another grand, big place in which to realize the truly regal magnificence of the modern ocean liner. No New York or London hotel could offer anything more commodious or aristocratic. The decoration of the room reflects the point of view of an age accustomed to the building of great country houses. It is in scale with the purpose for which it has been designed, the comfortable entertainment of numerous visitors.

The Samaria Gymnasium

The Samaria Gymnasium. GGA Image ID # 117c3b02e6
You can box and fence and punch the bag and do everything to ennoble the profile of your body and get up an appetite. Here are electrical horses and camels and bicycles and what not. And foils and boxing gloves and everything else to encourage the athletic ambition. And excellent porthole ventilation, which is something to be really appreciated in a ship gymnasium.

The Samaria Writing Room

The Samaria Writing Room. GGA Image ID # 117cbaf640

Another well equipped room which has the flavor of the days when Sir Joshua Reynolds was painting portraits of the beauties of London, and Gainsborough was making his reputation at Bath. The division of the floor space into three definite units is decoratively attractive and eminently practical. The wide, curtained windows make an effective termination of the long vista.

The Laconia Writing Room

The Laconia Writing Room. GGA Image ID # 117cc1cc4e

This might be a detail of one of Robert Adam’s famous Adelphi houses, so gracefully does it reflect his liking for arched openings and delicate traceries. It is fine in line and in its point of view. The chairs have characteristic niceties of contour and covering. Behind the bookcases, flush with the wall, are shelves of books at the service of passengers.

Another Detail of the Samaria Writing Room

Another Detail of the Samaria Writing Room. GGA Image ID # 117ce634c4

It is possible to appreciate in this elaboration of one of the elliptical ends of the writing room of the great care which has been given to maintain the original ideal both of the form and of the ornament. The carved stone vases in the recesses are very much in the period. As are the dainty but roomy desks and the chairs with the Adam silk coverings.

The Scythia Dining Room

The Scythia Dining Room. GGA Image ID # 117d5828d8

A very companionable sort of room in which, again, the area has been planned so that there are smaller rooms opening into a large central space. It is the modern idea of providing various cozy dining rooms in place of the staring openness which was the dream of the old-fashioned hotel and the démodé steamship. It gives a sense of withdrawal into privacy which the sophisticated traveler prefers and enjoys.

View of the Scythia Dining Room Directly Under the Domed Ceiling

View of the Scythia Dining Room Directly Under the Domed Ceiling. GGA Image ID # 117e42e474

One of the other illustrations implies the benefit which is derived from having smaller dining rooms opening from the larger center space. This view of the dining room in the Scythia shows that part of it which is directly under the domed ceiling. In the evening the effect is very gala. It is as though various groups of people were giving smart little dinners in private dining rooms.

An Elaborate Cold Buffet in the Scythia Dining Room

An Elaborate Cold Buffet in the Scythia Dining Room. GGA Image ID # 117e58566b

This is another privilege of the Scythia dining room. There are cold meats in frills and turkeys rendered so ornate that it seems criminal to eat them. There are tongues, and cold meat pies,and hams. There is everything that even Mr. Pickwick could have imagined. The flowers are spun sugar. It is all so expertly done, and . . . this must be definitely understood ... it is part of the regular à la carte menu. There is no additional charge for it.

A Little Country-House Suite in the Scythia

A Little Country-House Suite in the Scythia. GGA Image ID # 117e827228

When you go to sea you can take your bedroom and sitting room with you. So that you remain at home while you are moving towards Europe.... or away from it. Here is a country-house suite in the Scythia, of course with a bath. The twin beds have an impressive amount of space around them. The sitting room makes you regret landing.

An Oceanfront Promenade on the Scythia

An Oceanfront Promenade on the Scythia. GGA Image ID # 117eb05a56

As you dine well in the Scythia, so you walk well. And walking means a lot on the trip over. We must have our gentler exercise, and show our new sports clothes. Here is all the space in the world. And the limitlessness of the ocean to add to it. You can walk as much of the way to Europe as you like. And be comfortable while you are doing it. Or you can lounge at your ease, without having people stumbling over your toes.

A Scythia Stateroom

A Scythia Stateroom. GGA Image ID # 117edf5536

The port is as neatly curtained with chic fabric as your own room in or out of New York. The beds are exceedingly comfortable. There is steam heat. There is hot and cold running water. There are night tables, so that you can lie in bed and read. There is a slant-back wicker chair for you to relax in when you know that you really ought to be dressing.

Passenger Information

Cunard Line • Anchor Line

THE SHORTEST BRIDGE TO EUROPE

GENERAL PASSENGER AGENTS in UNITED STATES and CANADA for Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Peninsular and Oriental S. N. Co., British India S. N. Co., Anchor Line (Indian Service), Orient Line, Bibby Line, Henderson Line, Blue Star (South America), Khedival Mail S. S. Co.

AGENTS FOR THE PRINCIPAL S. S. LINES OF THE WORLD Anchor-Donaldson Line, Commonwealth & Dominion Line. Through Bookings, Tours, and Cruises Throughout the World.

CRUISES / TOURS: AROUND THE WORLD, MEDITERRANEAN, WEST INDIES, NORTH CAPE, SOUTH AMERICA, AFRICA, HAVANA SERVICE.

Independently and in conjunction with Thos. Cook & Son, Raymond & Whitcomb Co., American Express Co., Frank Tourist Co., Frank C. Clark, etc.

THE Cunard and Anchor Lines offer annually a wide selection of cruises Around the World, to the Mediterranean, the West Indies, North Cape, South America, Africa and a Havana Service.

Exact itineraries and ships vary from season to season—the quality of the service offered, never. Arrangements have been completed between the Cunard Line, the Blue Star Line and the Grace Line, for round trip triangular tours between New York, Valparaiso, Buenos Aires, and Great Britain and back to New York, or vice versa, or any port within the route Itineraries, rates, and full particulars of next available sailings promptly furnished upon application to your local agent or office, or the TOURIST DEPARTMENT.

CUNARD TRAVEL CLUB

If the wanderlust is in your blood . . . Cunard Travel Club will bring the lure of far places into your home . . . carry the romance of many lands to your armchair.

Whether you are planning to travel now or later, or are a confirmed stay-at-home, join the Cunard Travel Club now. $1 per year takes you over the world’s trails. Membership includes:

  1. The Running Tide, intimate Club bulletin.
  2. The Cunarder, large beautifully illustrated monthly travel magazine.
  3. Travel library, booklets from all over the world.
  4. Valuable special privileges when you go abroad.
  5. Cunard Budget Plan of saving for that trip, if desired.

Apply to Secretary, Cunard Travel Club, 25 Broadway, New York City.

CUNARD TRAVELER’S CHEQUES

Relieve you of all concern for the safety of your funds. Accepted without question, not only on Cunard ships, but by banks and railway offices, hotels, and shops the world over. Issued in convenient denominations from $5 to $100.

Protected from misuse if you should lose them by every safeguard, they form probably the safest and most convenient way in which to carry money during your travels. Apply to local agents or offices or TRAVELER’S CHEQUE DEPARTMENT.

BAGGAGE INSURANCE

The Cunard and Anchor Lines’ arrangements for insuring traveler's baggage against breakage, theft, loss, or fire, on land or sea, offer another valuable service to travelers well worth the moderate rate charged. Full particulars from any LOCAL AGENT OR OFFICE.

THROUGH EUROPE WITH YOUR OWN CAR

The Cunard Line will obtain driving licenses, license plates, etc., that will permit you to tour through England or the Continent with your own automobile.
Your car is carried as personal baggage and will be discharged at London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Southampton, Queenstown, Havre or Cherbourg.
For rates and further particulars, apply to your local agent or office or to the AUTOMOBILE DEPARTMENT.

Back Cover, Cunard to Liverpool via Cobh (Queenstown) - 1920s Brochure from the Cunard Line

Back Cover, Cunard to Liverpool via Cobh (Queenstown) - 1920s Brochure from the Cunard Line. GGA Image ID # 117f0631f7

 

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