January 2009

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Cunard understood the marketing opportunity in hiring notable artists to decorate the ship’s interiors. In the ‘Queen Mary’ Guide to Accommodation, a booklet given to all first-class passengers, art occupies a prominent place. Preceding the guide’s list of the principal works of art, the interiors are described: ‘The decorative themes are modern without being ultra modern. Period styles have been discarded, and the rooms whilst perfectly satisfying to the most cosmopolitan conceptions of culture and good taste will at the same time convey atmosphere of restfulness and comfort.’6 As early internal correspondence reveals, Cunard specified that paintings and sculpture should be treated as ‘units in schemes’ to avoid any conflict with the interior design.7 Keen as Cunard was for publicity, it was unwilling to commission daring contemporary artists or to allow the chosen painters and sculptors artistic licence. Art adorning the cabins and public spaces was intended to complement the decorative scheme, not confront the passengers with controversial subjects and abstract forms.

After visiting artists’ studios and seeking the advice of London’s art experts, Cunard commissioned works from 31 British artists and sculptors, including Edward Wadsworth, Laura Knight, Vanessa Bell and Gilbert Bayes.8 Correspondence between Morris and Cunard offers insight into how the artists were chosen. Morris had sought the advice of Dudley W. Tooth, whose family art gallery in London, Arthur Tooth & Sons, had been in existence since the mid-19th century. Now promoting British modernism, Tooth suggested several artists, including Wadsworth, Duncan Grant, Paul Nash and Stanley Spencer.9 Wadsworth is first mentioned in Morris’s report to Cunard on 16 March 1935. Next to his name are the notes, ‘Modern. Intellectual. Man of Means.’ It is unclear whether or not ‘modern’ and ‘intellectual’ were considered positive attributes. In listing Wadsworth as a ‘man of means’, was Morris implying that the artist might be persuaded to lower his asking price? Next to Nash’s name, the letter states, ‘Very modern, would require restraint and direction.’10 Not surprisingly, Cunard did not offer Nash a commission. Nash’s style, which in the 1930s varied between surrealism and abstraction, was considered too visually challenging for the decorative interiors of the Queen Mary.11

The first-class smoking lounge, located on the promenade deck, was assigned to Wadsworth and the sculptor James Woodford.12 Rising through two decks to 22ft and lit by large windows on both sides, the room was bright and airy.13 Aiming for the ‘solid comfort of a typically English club or country house smoking room’, it was panelled with English oak and burl walnut.14 The clean lines of the plain travertine fireplace and the large armchairs upholstered in blue and red leather added a modern element to the design (Figs 2 and 6).

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