White Star Line poster – Royal Mail Steamers poster – c1890

Poster: White Star Line Royal Mail Steamers poster – c1890

The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, better known by its brand name the White Star Line was a British shipping company. It was founded by John Pilkington and Henry Wilson in Liverpool in 1845 focussing on the UK-Australia market. At a time when most shipping companies were focussing on speed, the White Star focused more on providing comfortable passages for both upper-class travellers and immigrants. The company did well, but with the financial burdens created by Henry Wilson’s demands for ever bigger and faster ships the company was forced into bankruptcy. White Star was left with a debt of £527,000, equivalent to almost £60 million today.

On 18 January 1868, Thomas Ismay, the director of the National Line, a passenger line steamship service came to the rescue. Ismay purchased the house flag, trade name and goodwill of the bankrupt company for £1,000 with the intention of operating large steamships on the North Atlantic service between Liverpool and New York.

The following year Ismay was approached by the prominent Liverpool merchant Gustav Christian Schwabe and nephew Gustav Wilhelm Wolff with a proposal. Schwabe offered to finance the new line if Ismay had his ships built by Wolff’s shipbuilding company, Harland and Wolff.  Ismay agreed, and a partnership with Harland and Wolff was established. The shipbuilders received their first orders on 30 July 1869. A year later, William Imrie, a Liverpool shipowner joined Ismay. The partnership, a joint venture was called Ismay, Imrie and Company became the parent company of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company Ltd. Despite this complex organisation, the shipping company was known publicly throughout its existence as the White Star Line.

On 27 August 1870, the White Star Line launched the RMS Oceanic, the first of four new steamships and began running a regular service between Liverpool and New York across the North Atlantic.

This rare, early White Star Line is one of very few to include the official Ismay, Imrie & Co name featuring prominently at the foot of the poster. Most posters for the company only make reference to the White Star Line. The poster that features one of the companies ships on its Atlantic crossing was designed and illustrated by an unknown artist. We love it for its typography. The lettering would all have been hand-drawn and its style is back in vogue and has relevance for poster designers, calligraphers and tattoo artists today.

Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears, or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as a fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.

The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a bargain of print and poster for just £22.