Main Lounge:

Smoking Room:

Palm Room:

Library-Writing Room:

Of course the decor looks heavy and ornate to our 21st Century tastes, but remember this was a very traditional steamship line, operating on the cold North Atlantic. I imagine these rooms were nice and cozy during a crossing!

The Statendam 3 was based on the Statendam 2 ordered in 1911. this Statendam torpedoed as Justicia in the last days of WW1. The General layout
S.S. Statendam 1929-1940 was the same as here ill fated predecessor.

Here interiors looks dated because she was actually delivered 8 years to late. By then here Edwardian style interiors where outdated. The design was almost exactly as those designed fore Sdam2. fact here interior architect firm Muttens The Hague finished most of here first class interior before they could be delivered fore placing on board Sdam 2. It was cheaper to used the old designs rather to design new ones. But here second and third class interior looks much more up to date specially here third class interiors looks quite modern. Nevertheless she proofed a very comfortable liner much praised by here passengers.

In the late 30's the idea raised with HAL to modernize here. beside the new Nieuw Amsterdam of 1938 she looks very dated. Plans where to give here a new designed interior a la Nw A'dam and talk was to modernize here exterior to. Sadly the plans where never materialized when she was destroyed the only 3 items survived the Dutch flag flaying on here aft stern mast, the ships horn and here bell.

Statendam is my AL time favorite HAL/Dutch liner.
NASM 1873 web page tss Statendam 1929-1940.

Book: Statendam 1929-1940
F. van Tuikwerd
ISBN10-9057302497
ISBN13-9789057302497

Greetings Ben.

[ 10-11-2008: Message edited by: Maasdam ]

quote:

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
These pictures remind me of a question I thought of the other night while watching the 'Leo and Kate sinking ship movie' (wont mention the name of the ship). In the final scenes as the ship went vertical the furniture all starting sliding toward the bow end, and I thought to myself, "Wouldn't all the bigger heavier furniture have been made sea worthy by securing it to the floors and bulkheads"? The pictures above show a lot of loose cannons, so to speak.

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I believe that this is a problem of all passenger vessels. I thought they could secure the heavier furniture to the deck. But extreme cases as sinking there is a critical point where even fixed furniture could get of there place and start flying around.

Greetings Ben.

[ 10-14-2008: Message edited by: Maasdam ]

I have seen B/W pictures of that famous lounge many times (in fact there was one in my very first general liner book at the end of the 70's), but this is the first time I see them in COLOUR.

A whole other experience. Less distant and "historic". Vivid and vitalistic.

BTW. I always wonder about those lightbulbs screwed in the ceiling, even in 1st class interiors at that time (see the pic of the Palm Garden). There must have been even in those days a more elegant solution.

quote:

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Originally posted by Johan:
Beautiful pictures.

BTW. I always wonder about those lightbulbs screwed in the ceiling, even in 1st class interiors at that time (see the pic of the Palm Garden). There must have been even in those days a more elegant solution.

J

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quote:

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Originally posted by Johan:
Beautiful pictures.

BTW. I always wonder about those lightbulbs screwed in the ceiling, even in 1st class interiors at that time (see the pic of the Palm Garden). There must have been even in those days a more elegant solution.

J

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When lightbulbs were 1st introduced it was common not to have shades as they were still a novelty that people wanted to see and show them off. By the early 20th Century you began to see more cloth shades or glass covered style fixtures.

Those fixtures in the palm court could be bare lightbulbs or small glass covers. I can't tell from the image.

Wonderful images. Thanks for sharing them

[ 10-14-2008: Message edited by: lasuvidaboy ]

quote:

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:

When lightbulbs were 1st introduced it was common not to have shades as they were still a novelty that people wanted to see and show them off. [ 10-14-2008: Message edited by: lasuvidaboy ]

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The light bulbs at the time were no greater than about 40 watts and not too bright to look at.

Lighting Design as a profession did not come about until the 1950's.