Leseprobe

61 BIGGER, FASTER, MORE EXTRAVAGANT The first half of the twentieth century was the age of the great ocean liners. More and more people were deciding to cross the ocean, often for very different reasons: some had the emigrant’s dream of a better life abroad, while some travelled simply for pleasure. Those who could afford it travelled first class. Most people, however, had to settle for second class, or even third class (sometimes known as ‘steerage’). The route through the North Atlantic was particularly important, and soon large numbers of liners were making the voyage between various European ports and New York. Thanks to improved propulsion technology, cruising speeds on the high seas were continuously increasing. There was also a growing emphasis placed on luxury. A good old-fashioned competition emerged between the large shipping companies, not just over who could transport the most passengers, but also who could build the best ship. This meant not just the fastest or the biggest vessel, but also the one with the most spectacular and elegant furnishings. Some ocean-going steamships had interiors of such opulence that they were reverentially dubbed ‘floating palaces’. Due to the tragic sinking of the Titanic (1912) and the outbreak of the First World War (1914), the euphoria surrounding ocean liners receded sharply, but it revived during the Roaring Twenties. Kronprinzessin Cecilie On a poster for Norddeutscher Lloyd c. 1910