Grand Circle Gallery and International Poster Gallery jointly present Under Full Steam – The Golden Age of Ocean Liners, a stunning exhibit of vintage travel posters promoting travel by steamship from the late 19th century through 1960. The exhibit opened on May 7 and will run through Saturday, September 6, 2014, at Grand Circle Gallery, 347 Congress Street, Boston.
More than 30 vintage posters, most on loan from International Poster Gallery, will transport visitors to a bygone era when the ocean liner was “the only way to cross.” Of all travel experiences, few can rival the romance and adventure of an ocean crossing on a “floating palace” like the Mauretania or the Normandie.
The show begins in 1890, when steamship companies began advertising their first “superliners” with another innovation, the lithographic poster. It concludes with the onset of the Jet Age in 1960, when fast and cheap flights forced the ocean liner to reinvent itself as the cruise ship.
IPG owner Jim Lapides worked closely with Grand Circle Gallery in planning its opening in 2010. “This is the continuation of a delightful collaboration between Grand Circle and IPG,” Jim said. “The show touches 70 years of turbulent world history — technological revolution, immigration, economic boom and bust, international rivalry and war. For Bostonians, it is fascinating to see the vital role the city played in this exciting story.” The exhibition is co-written by Jim and travel historian and writer Peter Wilson.
“Many of the best posters of the genre can be seen in this blockbuster show, from early ‘information style’ designs to the streamlined Art Deco works of A. M. Cassandre.” The posters on loan from IPG are for sale following the close of the show.
Grand Circle Gallery hours are Wednesday and Friday, noon-6:00pm; Thursday, noon -7:00pm and Saturday, 10:00am-5:00pm. Admission is free and the gallery is handicap accessible. For more information, please visit www.gct.com/grandcirclegallery or call 617 346-6459.