Cunard White Star advertising brochure, 1938

brochure

Bright orange Cunard White Star Line brochure advertising travel to Europe. The cover says "Let's plan to go abroad this September and save as much as $100 via Cunard White Star." The text focuses on "the glory of Europe's Autumn Season" and there is a list of fall events in Europe and a table of sailings and rates. The brochure has a printing date of June 1938, a moment of fear and uncertainty in Europe. Hitler had annexed Austria in March 1938, and in May, war seemed close as nations feared that Germany was about to invade Czechoslovakia. Around Europe, refugees were fleeing, with 150,000 of Germany's Jews having already left as well as another 150,000 Austrian Jews after the annexation. A conference was planned for July 1938 in Evian, Switzerland at which, it was hoped, countries would agree on how to handle the refugee crisis (they did not). This brochure promises steep discounts, a deferred payment plan, and "a year of opportunity so far as travel is concerned that may never come again." Despite world events, Cunard reported strong business in June, carrying some 11,531 passengers that month from New York, Montreal and Boston to Europe, and the company had many ships to fill after the merger of the Cunard Line and the White Star Line. The QUEEN MARY was already in service, and its sister ship the QUEEN ELIZABETH and the new MAURETANIA were both under construction and nearing completion, in addition to the other ships listed.