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The East Asiatic Company Ltd, Shipping and Trading

Artist Valdemar Larsen

Maker F E Bording

Date1954-1969

Object number00008901

NamePoster

MediumColour lithograph on paper

DimensionsOverall: 998 x 630 mm, 0.55 kg

ClassificationsPosters and postcards

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis poster promoting the shipping and trading services of the East Asiatic Company was designed by the Danish artist Valdemar Larsen. The cargo in the foreground is marked 'OK', the initials of the company's Danish name, Ostasiatic Kompagni.HistoryFounded in 1897 in Copenhagen by Hans Niels Andersen, The East Asiatic Company initially operated services between Copenhagen, Bangkok and the Far East. The subsidiary Russian East Asiatic Steamship Co, based in St. Petersburg, was formed in 1899 and ran services between the Baltic or Black Sea and the Far East. Other subsidiary companies included the East Asiatique Francais, Paris, Siam Steam Navigation Co, Swedish East Asiatic Co, Russian American Line, D/S A/S Orient, and Johnson Walton Steamships Ltd. In the early 1920s, The East Asiatic Company extended services from Copenhagen to South Africa, Cuba, Australia, Mexico and North Pacific ports. Ships operating the North Pacific route commenced calls at New York in 1940 and later called at Philadelphia, Baltimore or Norfolk, Vancouver. Passenger sailings gradually diminished with the advent of air travel and were discontinued in 1969.SignificanceThe poster is an important document recording one of the ways in which shipping companies marketed themselves to both national and international audiences. It is representative of early 20th century design trends and the significant role of Modernism in popular culture.