HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY COLLECTION

As you'll see as you tour my little online museum, my collection is somewhat eclectic.  I don't really specialize in any one type of item, rather I tend to horde things that strike my fancy.  Wherever possible, I've tried to integrate my collection seamlessly into my home decor without letting the ship theme overwhelm.  To avoid clutter, I have five display cases which serve the dual purpose of keeping the small items organized and relatively dust free.   Paper items are in archival boxes, and I have to admit very poorly organized at the moment, awaiting a rainy day after I've retired.

Early in my collecting career, I was a bit of an art-deco snob, and dismissed out of hand the liners of the 1950s and 60s.  I was all about the Ile de France, and the Queens Mary & Elizabeth, the Normandie, of course, and her lesser-known ancestor, the magnificent L'Atlantique.  I pooh-poohed the utilitarian interiors of the SS United States.  But as the collection grew, and I discovered new lines and new ships, my aesthetic sense began to mature as well.  When I took a second look at the SS United States, I fell head over heels.  What I had called "utilitarian" and "spare" was in fact "mid-century modern," a style I've found goes nicely with '30s streamline moderne, the latter apparently being an ancestor of the former.  Now I freely admit that the SS United States is my "time travel" ship -- if I could choose only one ship on which to cross the pond, I would pick the Big U.  Barring the possibility of time travel ever being perfected for recreational use, I suppose I'll have to settle for slowly reassembling the ship in my home!  Now for a few highlights from the Big U collection...

Table service for twenty-four including all linens, china, glassware, silver, serving pieces, etc.  Here the table is set for twelve in July of 2002 for a dinner party commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the maiden voyage.   For Thanksgiving 2004, I had seating for six guests.  The table is shown with five recently acquired cabin class dining room chairs (my favorite chair design on the ship) which are in their original 1960s upholstery.  In the kitchen, a first class dining room table is surrounded by four tourist class stateroom chairs.  The "service" sign on the door in the background is also from the ship.  The round  wooden table in the middle of the room is  from the first class dining saloon of the Queen Mary.  The SS United States guest room is a popular spot for out-of-town visitors or party guests who've overdone it a bit!  The bedspread and curtains are 1950s Cunard Line, but the rest of the furniture, lamps, and graphics are Big U.  The two advertising posters are among my favorites.  It's always struck me as ironic that the "Fastest Ship In The World" went so quickly from boasting the "Fastest Way to and From all Europe" to "Travel With the Unrushables." 

The stateroom fan was restored and installed by my friend Tom Nicolai.  It still runs great and really helps cool the room!  The chair is a Tourist class lounge chair, as is the small round side table.  The lamp is a first class dining room table lamp.  I don't know the origin of the vinyl USL logo pillow, but it seems to go well with the chair.  Outside, my upper promenade is graced with six deck chairs in their original webbing, now faded to orange rather than the vibrant red of their heyday.  I have steamer rugs for all six chairs.  Now if I could just find the detachable pillows in good condition! The display case in the dining room is also dedicated to small SS United States collectibles, as is the porthole-style display case in my office -- alongside which hangs an original in-service life ring acquired from the Christie's auction of the collection of Wayne LaPoe.  The office is done in a kind of Big U meets the Andrea Doria style, with lots of wood which would have been forbidden aboard the former.  This concludes the highlights of the SS United States collection, though you may spot more pieces in other settings throughout the photos on the next pages.  To continue your tour, click on the life ring link below.     

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