Dover-Ostend Line poster TS Princesse Elisabeth – Adolfo Hohenstein
This Dover-Ostend Line poster is a superb example of the art nouveau movement’s influence on poster design in the early part of the 20th century and our high quality, modern-day reproduction print captures the essence of the original. The vintage shipping poster was created by the renowned German artist Adolfo Hohenstein for the Belgian State Railways. The aim of the poster was to promote travel between England and Belgium on the Ostende-Dover line. Hohenstein’s fabulous painting features three adventurous young ladies about to embark on the journey to England’s capital city. The three elegantly dressed women are standing on the deck of the turbine steamer Princesse Elisabeth waving their handkerchiefs at their friends on the dock, as the ship prepares to set off. The women appear to be setting off in the sunshine of an early Belgian morning. It’s a good job they’ve got their best, thick coats on. They’ll need them when they get to England!
The Turbine Steamer Princesse Elisabeth
In the early 19oos the Ostend-Dover ferry service was operated by the TS Princesse Elisabeth. The steamer was named to commemorate the birth of Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg, the daughter of William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and his wife, Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal. The ship was ordered by the Belgian State Railways and built by Société Cockerill at their shipyard in Hoboken, Belgium. Launched in 1905 the Princesse Elisabeth took her maiden voyage from Dover to Ostend on 11 September 1905. The ship was capable of speeds of 26.25 knots and was, at the time, the fastest ship afloat. She remained so until the launch of the RMS Lusitania the following year.
In 1914, whilst being refurbed and refitted at the Cockerill’s shipyard, war broke out. Despite being dismantled the ship was towed to London. Once seaworthy again the ship was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and was used as a troop carrier and a hospital ship. Between Jan 1917 and Dec 1918 the Princesse Elisabeth made 575 sailings between England and France transporting more than 28,000 soldiers and over 90,000 wounded.
In 1919, the ship was handed back to the Belgian authorities and she resumed her Ostend Dover service. She continued her passenger ferry service until 1927 when she collided with the quay at Ostend. The ship was laid up in Ostend until 1931 when she was sold for scrap and dismantled in 1933.
Adolfo Hohenstein posters
Adolfo Hohenstein was born in 1854 in St Petersburg, the then capital of Russia, to German parents. After completing his studies in Vienna, his travels took him to India where, where to earn some money, he decorates the houses of the local nobility. Following a move to Milan, Italy in 1879, the young artist becomes a set and costume designer for La Scala and other Milanese theatres.
It is in Milan that Hohenstein meets Giulio Ricordi, the head of the Italian publishing house Casa Ricordi. It is here his career begins to take off. He started work for the Ricordi Graphical Workshops in 1889 and soon becomes the art director of the Ricordi graphics department. Casa Ricordi’s clientele base consisted of composers such as Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Nono and Varèse. It was now Hohenstein’s responsibility to produce the artwork for sheet music, advertising posters and concert posters for upcoming performances. The publicity department soon undertook the production of advertising posters for commercial companies as well.
At the Ricordi Graphical Workshops Hohenstein produced a diverse range of work. From his posters for the operas La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and Tosca to advertising posters for companies such as Cinzano, Corriere Della Sera, Campari and Buitoni. As well as posters his art was required on postcards, covers for scores and booklets. He also continued his work at the theatres creating scenery and costume designs for several works including Giuseppe Verdi’s 1893 opera Falstaff.
Hohenstein is now considered to be the father of Italian poster art and an exponent of the Stile Liberty, the Italian Art Nouveau. Along with Giovanni Mario Mataloni, Leopoldo Metlicovitz and Marcello Dudovich all of whom he worked with and Leonetto Cappiello, Adolfo Hohenstein is considered one of the most important Italian poster designers of all time.
Other Dover travel posters
With the ever-growing sea trade, Dover’s chances of success as a seaside resort were unlikely. Instead, the town has grown to be a major ferry port and is a vital part of Britain’s tourism, shipping and cargo industries. Its importance is shown in the amount of railway and travel posters produced over the decades that feature the town. Iconic images of the famous white cliffs, centuries-old castles, beautiful countryside, and coastline have been reproduced countless times. There is a wide variety of vintage Dover travel posters available. One of the earliest was created by the German artist Adolfo Hohenstein around 1900. His art nouveau-influenced poster was created for the Dover-Ostend Line and shows a young woman on board Princess Elizabeth waving goodbye to her friends on the dock. Another early one is Henri Cassier’s 1914 Dover-Ostend poster for the Belgian State Railways. It depicts a small group of fishermen and their wives in traditional dress standing watching the turbine steamer Princess Elizabeth, enter the port.
Edward Burley‘s portrait of the Gateway to England for Southern Railway offers a view from the sea looking back past a fishing boat towards Dover Castle. Personal favourites include Norman Wilkinson’s 1946 poster for Southern Railway which features an image of TS Invicta leaving Dover. Leo Marfurt’s art deco inspired Oostende-Dover for the Belgian National Railway is superb. The brightly coloured, geometric design depicts railway passengers transferring to the Ostend-Dover ferry. We also love Edward Ponds Dover by Train for Network South East which shows Dover Castle high on the top of the white Cliffs of Dover.
2018 $5,500
