Pair of Armchairs from the Winter Garden of the S.S. Normandie, circa 1934

Details

FRENCH
Pair of Armchairs from the Winter Garden of the S.S. Normandie, circa 1934
lacquered rattan, fabric and leather upholstery
35 x 25 1⁄2 x 26 in. (89 x 64.8 x 66 cm)

Provenance

S.S. Normandie, Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, circa 1935-1939
Deco Deluxe, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2001

Literature

L. Reade, "The French Line Quadruple-screw Turbo-electric North Atlantic Steamship: Normandie", Ocean Liners of the Past: No. 5 in a series of reprints from 'The Shipbuilder & Marine Engine Builder', Greenwich, 1970, p. 120, fig. 11 (for a period photograph of the Winter Garden)
B. Foucart, et al., Normandie: Queen of the Seas, New York, 1985, pp. 62, 157, 160, 162, 164 (for period photographs of the Winter Garden)
Y. Masutani, et al., Fantastic Voyage: Luxury and Sophistication on the Ocean Liners, Osaka, 1996, p. 88, no. 97 and p. P38 (for a period photograph of the Winter Garden)
J. Maxtone-Graham, Normandie: France's Legendary Art Deco Ocean Liner, New York, 2007, p. 100 (for a period photograph of the Winter Garden)

Exhibited

San Francisco, California, International Airport SFO Museum, S.S. Normandie, May 2004 - January 2005, no. 364

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Daphné Riou SVP, Senior Specialist, Head of Americas

DRiou@christies.com +1 212 468 7124

Lot Essay

The present lot is part of a set of chairs designed for the Winter Garden on the S.S. Normandie. Several period photographs capture celebrities seated in these chairs during their stay, including the poet Jules Romains (1885-1972), Paul Reynaud (1878-1966), the Former Prime Minister of France, and the comedian-actor Bob Hope (1903-2003).

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