Description

Title:
3pc First Class Set (Paquebot Ville de la Ciotat)
Price:
€55 (Open to reasonable offers)

Description:
An exceptional, matching chronological set of three 1st Class passenger menus from the prestigious French shipping line Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes, dated between March and May of 1911.
These historic artifacts were used aboard the luxury passenger steamship Paquebot “Ville de la Ciotat” on her long-distance routes. Built in 1892, this famous liner was tragically torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat during WWI (1915), making surviving pre-war artifacts from her voyages incredibly scarce.

Set Includes:
• Diner – Sunday, 19 March 1911: Featuring luxury period gastronomy like Consommé Xavier and Glace moscovite Lampions.
• Diner – Sunday, 23 April 1911: Featuring Gigot de mouton aux soissons and Glace pralinée.
• Déjeuner – Wednesday, 10 May 1911: A fascinating luncheon menu that explicitly features Irish Stew served to the First Class passengers alongside French delicacies like Mazagran au foie gras.

Key Features:
• Dual-Purpose Postcards: The reverse of each card features an unposted, blank "Carte Postale" layout, designed for Edwardian high-society travelers to write home using the day's menu as a luxury travel souvenir.

• Vintage Luxury Advertising: The borders feature crisp, color-blocked period advertisements for high-end French brands including Champagne Piper-Heidseck, Champagne Charles Heidsieck, and Pierre Chabanneau Cognac.

• Condition: Excellent antique condition given they are over 115 years old. Very minor corner wear, with clean, unfaded typography and vibrant illustration colors.
An incredible addition to any maritime, Titanic-era, or vintage advertising collection. Best sold as an intact chronological set.

Location/Delivery:
Available for collection or can be posted securely nationwide in protective sleeves at the buyer's expense.