SS Normandie: French National Symbol and Art Deco Treasures

The antiques from the late ship Normandie are the Rembrandts for people interested in Art Deco collectibles.

Floating Palace

It’s logical. The ship, decor, and furniture reflected everything stylish, sophisticated, forward-thinking, and French when it was launched in the age of grand style, a decade after the successful exposition of modern design at the 1925 Paris Exhibition. The Normandie, the pride of the French line, was a floating palace with no design detail missed.

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The Sinking

Then, a tragedy added poignancy to the romance while fuelling a future collecting frenzy. The Normandie was towed into New York Harbour on February 9, 1942, to be stripped and converted into a troop carrier. It capsised after being burned at Pier 88. Fortunately, many of her belongings, such as silver and china, gigantic glass paintings, chairs and tables, bronze doors, and statues, were already in storage. In 1944, a public auction of Normandie effects was held. From that sale, items have been passed down through generations of collectors.

Normandie artifacts

Many artefacts from Normandie are still on show at museums. The items on display include a waiter’s costume, a silver cigarette dispenser, presentation medals, and a souvenir candy box. The Normandie was a floating Art Deco palace in the making. The most magnificent object retrieved is a sculpture demonstrating how much high Deco style owes to classical design and has been on display at the Fontainebleau Hilton Hotel since 1954. It’s the enormous bronze sculpture of La Normandie, the personification of a Norman peasant girl, which used to stand at the top of the stairwell in the boat deck’s smoking room. It gives an excellent impression of Normandie’s public rooms’ size.

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The graceful maiden is one of just two giant statues mounted on the ship—the maquette for the third, which will be located on the sundecks. Carlo Sarrabezolles created this painting to represent the sea’s spirit. It was too heavy for the deck, and it now stands outside the Compagnie Generale Tratlantique (CGT) offices in Le Havre.

Other silver pieces were designed by Jean Puiforcat, one of the most renowned French silversmiths of the time, and the Christofle Firm, which supplied silverplate flatware and serving pieces to numerous French line ships. The Lalique business supplied Normandie with glassware. The manufacturers of Haviland porcelain commissioned Suzanne Lalique, daughter of the company founder Rene, to design the dinnerware for several dining rooms.

French National Symbol

The oceanliner was a metal frame encasing elegance. It was a French national symbol that sailed into foreign ports carrying a diverse collection of people suspended in time and space for 5 to 8 days. It was enjoyable to cross the Atlantic. Music was played, and many waved streamers as his ship sailed. Unlike a modern cruise, where the ship is the primary destination, a classic line voyage is a serendipity, a means to an end that takes on a life of its own.

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