AFA Summer 2020

Summer 68 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Rien Poortvliet (1932–1995), It’s Good to be on a Well-Run Ship, Holland America Line, The Netherlands, about 1959. Color lithograph. 37 x 24½ inches. Gift of Stephen S. Lash (2010.37.7). Steamship companies devised one of the greatest public relations triumphs in history during the early twentieth century. Their strategic advertising campaigns transformed the public’s perception of ocean travel from an uncomfortable necessity to a glamorous leisure activity. They also hired renowned artists to reinvent their imagery. Posters with cutting-edge graphics enticed prospective travelers to book passage by conveying the high style luxury passengers would enjoy on board. Sir Anthony Deane (1638–1721), The Royal James, 1st Rate Ship of the Line, 1668–1671, England. Fruitwood, silk, brass, and mica. 56 x 62 x 25 inches. Kriegstein Collection (IL2018.5.1). This model, like the ship it represents, is adorned with extravagant decoration and gilding. Naval architects in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Britain made magnificent prototypes, known as admiralty models, to demonstrate their artistry and ingenuity and to win projects and commissions. Charles II was so impressed by this model that he funded construction of the full- size ship. The king found the completed vessel to be equally impressive, and Sir Anthony Deane became the only English shipbuilder ever to be knighted for his service to the crown.