ABSTRACT
Many of the key ocean liner interiors of the inter-war years were examples of the
national showcase, framing what was considered the best design style and the best
designers by the line owners. Some designers would be commissioned to design one
particular space on the ship, or execute elaborate fittings or objects in their specialist
field, for example, decorative painting, glass or metalwork. The French Normandie and British Empress of Britain were significant examples of this type. Following the First World War, the competition between vying national identities escalated, with
America and Italy joining the fray and using indigenous designers to express a more
contemporary style in the service of national identity. P&O still used professional
decorating firms, but in 1929 the lavish interiors of the Viceroy of India were designed by the Hon. Elsie Mackay, one of the first examples of a woman working on ship
interiors. Largely unacknowledged at the time, and subsequently derided in the
professional press, this was a key example of a British ship designed in period style,
with touches of international art deco. Contemporary reviews expressed anxiety about
the ‘. . . distinctive modern note . . .’ of some of the décor (The Shipbuilder 1929: 263). Although by ‘modern’ the critic was referring to what would be termed art
deco now, it revealed a British resistance to using contemporary, international design
styles for the interiors of ocean liners. This seemed to be an inappropriate design style
for British vessels.
