Of the many hundreds of passenger liners only 15 had four funnels and interestingly this beautiful French liner’s maiden voyage occurred in April 1912. (The Laroche family had originally booked passage but their children weren’t allowed to eat in the dining room with the adults so they changed to the Titanic that sailed a week earlier and Mr Laroche lost his life in the sinking.)
Her interiors and period decor received praise from the passengers and her winter garden, decorated in blue and white resembling that of a Continental hotel with cane furniture and filled with luxuriant foliage plants, was singled out as special. She had one of the finest equipped kitchens with the latest electrical apparatus in the history of North Atlantic passenger travel. The extravagance of her interiors caused her to become known as the “Chateau of the Atlantic” with her three-decked grand staircase and bronze-filigreed banister as an example. The dining room was decorated in grey with gold beadings, lighted and ventilated by double ports enclosed by stained glass windows encased in black and gold frames illuminated by electric lights hidden in clusters of crystal teardrops. The music saloon contained a marble fountain and decorated in Louis XIV style.
The France, shown in her glory in a faithful reproduction of an original French Line booklet, includes illustrations of her main foyer, music room, writing salon, smoking salon, several de luxe suites, the magnificent grand stairway (which makes the Titanic’s grand staircase absolutely spartan in comparison!) promenade deck, gymnasium, etc. The 712-foot liner lead a long and useful life, a source of pride for her owners.
25 pages. Illustrated in black and white photographs. Softback.
