Ocean Liner, SS Île de France (1926)

Artist/Designer: Pierre Chareau, Pierre Patout, Marc Simon, René Prou, Georges Rémon

Project Location: France

Style/Period(s):
Art Deco, Modern

Primary Material(s):
Metal, Wood

Function(s):
Transportation

Related Website(s):

Significant Date(s):
20th Century, 1926, 1959

Additional Information:
Project Description:
The SS Île de France was a French ocean liner that was built in Saint-Nazaire, France, for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. The ship was notable as being the first to be decorated in the modern style of it's time (art deco) rather than historical styles of the past.

Luxurious materials were used throughout the boat. Suites, decorated by Marc Simon, featured palissandre, lemonwood and white maple walls and palissandre furniture, upholstered in dark brown velvet.

In Image #3 you will see woodwork in le loupe de Frenc, chairs in white sycamore, upholstered in gray velvet. Red lacquer doors at the far end and D.I.M. (Décoration Interieure Moderne) diminutive stage backed by panel by Dupin. Curtains in Rodier fabric in red, white and blue. View through doorway to smoking and card corner in a suite decorated by Pierre Chareau. There is indirect lighting to an opening in the ceiling, surrounding a curved capital of a square pillar.

A writing room in suite decorated by Georges Rémon features a built-in desk and rectangular ceiling lighting in white leaded glass. In a stateroom by René Prou, there were twin beds in palissandre with a bedspread in "beaver velvet." The woodwork was in gray and white sycamore, curtains of red taffeta, and inverted pyramid ceiling lights in sculptured alabaster. Suites designed by H. Nelson had walls in purple with columns in Japanese lacquer sprinkled with aventurine as well as a green marble fireplace. The ceiling frieze conceals indirect lighting and furniture was in dark purple wood, upholstered in gray velour.

The Grand Salon featured a coffered ceiling in diamond pattern. The entrance to the salon was crafted of oak woodwork and plaster ceiling with a bubble effect. The floor leading in was black, beige, and red linoleum. Columns supporting ceiling. Statues of nude women lining walls.

Stairway leading to main dining room used gray marble columns over twenty-six feet high and nickel railing. A map of province of Île-de-France was on wall. Indirect lighting is in plates of gold-tinted glass by René Lalique (1860-1945).


Publications/Texts in Print:
Finamore, Daniel, Wood, Ghislaine, Editor, and Peabody Essex Museum, Organizer. Ocean Liners : Glamour, Speed and Style. 2017.

Maxtone-Graham, John., Ocean Liner Museum, and PaineWebber Art Gallery. Ships of State : Saluting the Great Transatlantic Liners. New York: Ocean Liner Museum], 1994.

Susan Day. "Patout, Pierre." Grove Art Online, 1996, Grove Art Online.


Supporting Staff/Designers:
Chief architect - Pierre Patout (1879-1965)
Interior decorator- Henri Pacon (1882-1966)
Interior decorator- Marc Simon
Interior decorator- Pierre Chareau (1883-1950)
Interior decorator- Georges Rémon
Interior decorator- René Prou (1889-1947)
Interior decorator- H. Nelson

Significant Dates:
1925- Construction began in Saint-Nazaire, France
1926- Launched
1927- Maiden voyage
1939-1945- Ship was converted into a prison ship during WWII
1959- Out of service and scrapped in Osaka, Japan

Associated Projects:
In 1931 the ninth floor restaurant in Eaton's Department Store, Montreal, Canada, was styled after the first class restaurant aboard the ship.

Tags:
ocean liner, cruise ship, boat, transportation, modernism, art deco, glamour, pierre chareau, pierre patout, therese bonney, france

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