Ship Style: Modernism and Modernity at Sea in the 20th Century

Nautical design inspired a great deal of innovative architecture on terra firma in the early twentieth century. The 1925 Exposition des Arts Decoratifs made a broad range of eclectic modern styles fashionable - particularly in the commerical world, whereas Modernism with a capital M, already the design aesthetic of the pre-Stalinist Soviet Union, was associated with social reform, internationalism and a Marxist ideology. In passenger ship design, however, the picture was complicated by a variety of factors.

According to Orwell, ships were seen to represent utopian visions of future paradises - and so represented the ideals of Modernism perhaps more effectively than any structure on dry land ever could. On the other hand they were equally powerful statements of imperialism and of commercial pride. This book will examine the development of the Modern Movement in passenger ship design and architecture in the twentieth century, ranging from small excursion vessels to liners, cruise ships, ferries, and, where necessary, freight vessels.

Philip Dawson, Bruce Peter, Gilbert Herbert