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Description

He’s on a boat, on a boat
On a boat that sailed last Wednesday
He’s on a five-day greyhound traveling fast
I’m praying for those mighty engines to last

-He’s on a boat that sailed last Wednesday (He’s coming home)
Written about RMS Mauretania, 1913

I think this is one of the most complicated pieces I’ve done - it took me quite some time to complete even though I worked on it for several hours each day! I’ve had this one in my head for quite some time (although the original concept actually featured Lusitania and U-20 instead of Mauretania) and it was only recently that I actually started to work on it, in no small part because I found the art nouveau style so daunting! I’m really proud of how this one turned out; it was difficult, but so, so worth it in the end. Also, I’m a lot less scared of art nouveau now!

Here are the notes! Pretty much everything in this piece is symbolic in some way, so there are a lot:
-As mentioned, the other vessel in this piece was originally going to be U-20 rather than Mauretania! The original concept would have had full-body images of her and Lusitania, with Lucy being upside-down and maybe dead; I changed it very early on as I wanted to draw Lucy in a happier context for once. So, now she’s with her sister, and the piece overall is focused more on the triumphs of the Lusitania-class liners rather than the tragedy that mars their story (although said tragedy is heavily referenced through symbolism).
-Most of the lineart is black or otherwise very dark rather than being a slightly darker version of the color like I normally do. This is because dark lineart is a common feature of art nouveau!
-The red poppies symbolize those who died in the First World War, of course, as well as simply being associated with Lusitania within the Shipwrecked/Unsinkable lore. The white ones, meanwhile, symbolize a desire for peace in the future. There are seven poppies in total here, not counting the ones that are part of Lusitania’s design or the one on the ribbon; like her design, the number is a reference to the significance of the number seven for her, and in this case it can also reference how Mauretania also entered service in 1907.
-Mauretania’s portrait background is mostly just symbolic of travel and navigation - she and her sister are ships, after all! Lusitania’s background, meanwhile, is a clock with the hands at 2:10 - not only is she known to have an impeccable sense of time in-universe, but it also represents her sinking in multiple ways! Specifically, the time shown refers to the time when the torpedo hit her, and the clock as a whole appears water-damaged.
-Both ships are portrayed in the center of the drawing! The upright one is Mauretania; she’s above the water because she’s the one that didn’t sink, and her white coloration both represents her cruising livery and contrasts with Lusitania. Lucy is the upside-down one, being under the water because, well, she sank; her dark color references her wartime paint scheme. The stars reference Mauretania’s in-universe view that stars are the souls of lost ships, with Lusitania of course being one of them; the largest star present is located roughly above where the torpedo hit.
-Turbinia and a Wright Model A plane are also present in the center! Turbinia was photographed with Mauretania at least once and they were built in the same region, so she’s also colored white to match Maury; the plane, meanwhile, is specifically the one that flew over and was photographed with Lusitania at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909, and it’s colored black to match her.
-The upper border is meant to resemble this wood paneling from Mauretania . The lower one is modeled after some trim from Lusitania’s first-class dining saloon .
-The Roman numerals on the ribbon are the years each ship was in service: 1907-1915 for Lusitania, and 1907-1934 for Mauretania.
-No points for guessing what the greyhounds represent.
-Each ship had four propellers, one set of which forms part of the foreground. They’re modeled off a stern view of Lusitania from before her launch !
-The title has a hidden meaning too, but I’ll leave that as a little challenge for people to figure out…

Lusitania and Mauretania were beautiful, powerful ships; each has her own fascinating story to be told. Did you know each one has a website dedicated to her as well? That’s right - go check those out!
The Lusitania Resource
Tyne and Wear Archives: Mauretania

For some interesting bits of trivia about these incredible ships, these links are quite interesting too!
Design Secrets of the RMS Lusitania
Mauretania and the port of Amble
Lusitania and Mauretania: Perceptions of Popularity

Description

He’s on a boat, on a boat
On a boat that sailed last Wednesday
He’s on a five-day greyhound traveling fast
I’m praying for those mighty engines to last

-He’s on a boat that sailed last Wednesday (He’s coming home)
Written about RMS Mauretania, 1913

I think this is one of the most complicated pieces I’ve done - it took me quite some time to complete even though I worked on it for several hours each day! I’ve had this one in my head for quite some time (although the original concept actually featured Lusitania and U-20 instead of Mauretania) and it was only recently that I actually started to work on it, in no small part because I found the art nouveau style so daunting! I’m really proud of how this one turned out; it was difficult, but so, so worth it in the end. Also, I’m a lot less scared of art nouveau now!

Here are the notes! Pretty much everything in this piece is symbolic in some way, so there are a lot:
-As mentioned, the other vessel in this piece was originally going to be U-20 rather than Mauretania! The original concept would have had full-body images of her and Lusitania, with Lucy being upside-down and maybe dead; I changed it very early on as I wanted to draw Lucy in a happier context for once. So, now she’s with her sister, and the piece overall is focused more on the triumphs of the Lusitania-class liners rather than the tragedy that mars their story (although said tragedy is heavily referenced through symbolism).
-Most of the lineart is black or otherwise very dark rather than being a slightly darker version of the color like I normally do. This is because dark lineart is a common feature of art nouveau!
-The red poppies symbolize those who died in the First World War, of course, as well as simply being associated with Lusitania within the Shipwrecked/Unsinkable lore. The white ones, meanwhile, symbolize a desire for peace in the future. There are seven poppies in total here, not counting the ones that are part of Lusitania’s design or the one on the ribbon; like her design, the number is a reference to the significance of the number seven for her, and in this case it can also reference how Mauretania also entered service in 1907.
-Mauretania’s portrait background is mostly just symbolic of travel and navigation - she and her sister are ships, after all! Lusitania’s background, meanwhile, is a clock with the hands at 2:10 - not only is she known to have an impeccable sense of time in-universe, but it also represents her sinking in multiple ways! Specifically, the time shown refers to the time when the torpedo hit her, and the clock as a whole appears water-damaged.
-Both ships are portrayed in the center of the drawing! The upright one is Mauretania; she’s above the water because she’s the one that didn’t sink, and her white coloration both represents her cruising livery and contrasts with Lusitania. Lucy is the upside-down one, being under the water because, well, she sank; her dark color references her wartime paint scheme. The stars reference Mauretania’s in-universe view that stars are the souls of lost ships, with Lusitania of course being one of them; the largest star present is located roughly above where the torpedo hit.
-Turbinia and a Wright Model A plane are also present in the center! Turbinia was photographed with Mauretania at least once and they were built in the same region, so she’s also colored white to match Maury; the plane, meanwhile, is specifically the one that flew over and was photographed with Lusitania at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909, and it’s colored black to match her.
-The upper border is meant to resemble this wood paneling from Mauretania . The lower one is modeled after some trim from Lusitania’s first-class dining saloon .
-The Roman numerals on the ribbon are the years each ship was in service: 1907-1915 for Lusitania, and 1907-1934 for Mauretania.
-No points for guessing what the greyhounds represent.
-Each ship had four propellers, one set of which forms part of the foreground. They’re modeled off a stern view of Lusitania from before her launch !
-The title has a hidden meaning too, but I’ll leave that as a little challenge for people to figure out…

Lusitania and Mauretania were beautiful, powerful ships; each has her own fascinating story to be told. Did you know each one has a website dedicated to her as well? That’s right - go check those out!
The Lusitania Resource
Tyne and Wear Archives: Mauretania

For some interesting bits of trivia about these incredible ships, these links are quite interesting too!
Design Secrets of the RMS Lusitania
Mauretania and the port of Amble
Lusitania and Mauretania: Perceptions of Popularity