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Frank Brangwyn:
A collection of over 20 original designs for SS Empress of Britain, 1930-31
Unmounted (ref: 2653)

A collection of over 20 original designs, 

Pencil, crayon and watercolour on tracing paper,

various sizes

Tags: Frank Brangwyn design watercolour design interiors murals

Provenance: Edgar Peacock

The SS Empress of Britain (Canadian Pacific Line, A1822) was a showcase for the best in British design and included commissions by
Sir Charles Allom, Edmund Dulac, Sir John Lavery, Maurice Grieffenhagen and Heath Robinson.
Frank Brangwyn designed complete interiors for the 1st class dining room (Salle Jacques Cartier) and two private dining areas.
The Salle Jacques Cartier was the largest unpillared room ever built on a ship, seating 452 people, and was 40 m (131 ft) long, 32 m (105 ft) wide and with a central well 6 m (19 ft) high.
For the wall decoration Brangwyn devised a decorative scheme
reminiscent of the murals he painted for of The House of Lords, painted onto panels prepared with a metal ground.
The Empress of Britain was torpedoed in October 1940 – the largest liner lost during the Second World War. This archive – comprising original Brangwyn designs and blue prints for murals, furniture, flooring, tablecloths, marquetry panels, metal fittings and clocks offers a unique historical record of one of the celebrated pre-war luxury liners.