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Dinner menu from EMPRESS OF ENGLAND

Maker Canadian Pacific Steamship Company (1891 - 1971)

Date24 July 1962

Object number00000817

NameMenu

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall: 266 x 210 mm

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from M L Breaden

Terms

DescriptionThis dinner menu from the British ocean liner, EMPRESS OF ENGLAND, features a re-creation of the Belgian stage magician and aeronaut, Etienne Gaspard Robertson’s, caricature, 'La Minerve', 'The Balloon', 1803.HistoryEMPRESS OF ENGLAND was built for Canadian Pacific and launched in 1956 by Vickers–Armstrong Ltd, Newcastle. It served as a cruise ship for passengers sailing between England and Canada, however, by the early 1960s, passenger numbers dwindled. By 1970, after travelling from British ports to South Africa and again to Canada, EMPRESS OF ENGLAND was renamed OCEAN MONARCH and recommenced sailing to various new destinations including Australia and New Zealand. There are a large number of these menus in the museum collection. They generally feature an illustration or design reflecting the key attributes of the ship, the ports or countries visited during the journey. This menu series reveals the marketing strategies adopted by Canadian Pacific to capture their passengers’ imagination. Each illustration is accompanied by a description which would have been read by passengers as they attended their evening meal. The description accompanying this particular menu reads: 'This is an elaborate balloon caricature by the doctor and aeronaut Etienne Gaspard Robertson, who was born in Liege. Much of the equipment which this imaginary vessel carries has its counterpart on Canadian Pacific Airlines craft – suggesting that no picture can describe the comfort and serenity enjoyed by the passengers they carry.'SignificanceAfter her launch in 1956, EMPRESS OF ENGLAND served as a cruise ship operating between Liverpool and Montreal. Shipboard menus were the most common type of souvenir collected by passengers. This particular menu illustrates how Canadian Pacific Airlines capitalised on the initial popularity of the luxury cruise liner by providing promotional material for their air service.