Sale 2459 - Rare & Important Travel Posters, October 26, 2017

The Aquitania was the last of the four-funneled ocean liners and took her maiden voyage in May of 1914. Although closely resembling Cunard’s Lusitania and Mauretania , the Aquitania was not officially a sister ship to the other two. Whereas the first two were built for speed, the Aquitania was designed to help Cunard rival the White Star Line for luxury. This poster is from a very short period after the ship was launched in May and August of the same year, at which point she was requisitioned by the British government to be used in the First World War. During this short time span in civilian service, she made the transatlantic run between Britain and New York three times. With an unusual and scarce Czech overprint for the Cunard office in Prague. rare . We could find only one other copy at auction. [2,000/3,000] Lot 9 (continued) 9