A Trip Back in Time Preserving a Historic Icon
The Queen Mary has a long and distinguished history of high-end design and modern technology. We invite you to explore her past and strive to locate and maintain as many authentic historical documents as possible to carry on The Queen Mary legend. If you have any authentic Queen Mary documents, lists, or memorabilia that you would like to share with us, feel free to email us at History@Queenmary.com or call us at 562.499.1791. Keeping The Queen Mary’s history alive and preserving her past is of utmost importance.
The Queen Mary Art Deco Style
The Queen Mary features some of the grandest, most intricate, and beautiful interior designs ever aboard an ocean liner. Influenced by the Art Deco movement of the 1920s and 30s, the interior design includes strong curves and geometric forms representing elegance, glamour, function, and modernity. No two staterooms are alike, and all are full of character.
Art Deco was one of the most popular design styles of the early 20th century. Following on the heels of the Art Nouveau movement, it flourished in the period between WWI and WWII, and in many ways went together with the joie de vivre of the Jazz Age. Art Deco buildings are sleek in style, often painted in bright colors, with dramatic expressions and geometric motifs.
The Ship of Woods
The Art Deco design was further enhanced using over 50 different types of woods from all over the world, which earned The Queen Mary the nickname the "Ship of Woods." The highly decorative and luxurious woods were used throughout the entire ship – inside and out. Intricate marquetry, carvings, and highly decorative murals were featured in every ballroom and salon of The Queen Mary. Accented with modern materials such as glass, marble, metal, enamel, and even linoleum, the woods gave the ship an unmistakable grandeur that reflected a blending of classic style with modern age design. A total of 56 types of highly polished veneers appear on The Queen Mary, one for each of the British protectorates at the time the ship was built. Six of those types of woods are now actually extinct, making The Queen Mary one of the few places they can still be found.
Art Aboard The Queen Mary
Art plays a prominent role in the décor of The Queen Mary, with elaborate murals, paintings, sculptures, and wood carvings found throughout the ship. Leading proponents of the Art Deco movement were commissioned by Cunard to create unique and contemporary pieces of artwork, many of which can still be found on the ship today. Some of the most famous works are murals by Doris Zinkeisen, whose work echoed themes of mythology, animals, and nature, abstracted into pure form. Today, The Queen Mary is widely considered one of the best examples and landmarks of Art Deco style in the world.
Preserving A Historic Icon
On Sept. 26, 1934, at the John Brown & Company shipyard on the banks of the Clyde River in Scotland, Job Number 534, the largest ship the world had ever seen, slid down the launchways into the water as Queen Mary addressed the crowd, speaking into the microphone, "I am happy to name this ship The Queen Mary. I wish success to her and to all who sail her." After a monumental 1,001 transatlantic crossings later, The Queen Mary retired in Long Beach, arriving on Dec. 9, 1967. At exactly 12:07 p.m., John Treasure Jones, The Queen Mary's last sailing master, ordered "finished with the engines," signaling the end of one career and the beginning of another. The Queen Mary lives on now as a full-service Long Beach hotel, historical landmark, and entertainment venue, giving visitors a unique glimpse into a bygone era when steamships were the most regal way to travel. The National Register of Historic Places Program is administered in California by the State Office of Historic Preservation, and placement on the National Register affords a property the honor of inclusion in the nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.
Support The Queen Mary
We thank all our guests for their continued support of this truly wonderful ship. Check out the information above to find out how you can help support The Queen Mary and look at some of the recently completed projects. Email us at preservation@queenmary.com if you have specific questions.
