French Line - Liberte'

This colorful poster was designed for The French Line of cruise ships. It specifically promotes CGT's newly acquired ocean liner, the S.S. Liberte. Harbor flags fly in the foreground, with the imposing Liberte behind. The S.S. Liberte sailed from New York to Plymouth, England to Le Havre, France. It originally sailed under Norddeutsche Lloyd under the name SS Europa from 1928 until CGT purchased it in 1950, and it was a sister ship to the famous S.S. Bremen.

Edouard Collin (1906-1983) created this striking poster around 1950. Collin began his artistic career at the renowned Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris. He was the artistic director for CGT from 1950 -1959, and created many wonderful posters for the company. He also designed the ships' menus, schedules, and many other design elements.

The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (commonly shortened to "CGT"), typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established in 1861. It began as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, which was in dire straights following the Crimean War of 1856. The company's first vessel, the SS Washington, had its maiden voyage in 1864. In addition to operating ocean liners, the company also had a significant fleet of freighters. The company survived both World Wars, but was no competition to the expansion of traveling by plane. In 1977, the company merged with the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes to form the Compagnie Générale Maritime. Then, in 1996, the company Compagnie Générale Maritime merged to form the CMA CGM.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed, and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.