S.S. Naldera, Mediterranean 

Muirhead Bone made this watercolor, S.S. Naldera, Mediterranean, sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. Bone was famous for his images of architecture and industry, and here he gives us a view of both. We see the ship’s cavernous interior space, as well as the figures who appear to be passengers on holiday. Travel by ship in this period was a powerful symbol of British imperial power, connecting the island nation to its colonies and dominions. It was also a symbol of the rise of leisure culture. The S.S. Naldera was itself commissioned by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, known as P&O, an important company in the history of global trade. Images like this are useful for understanding the cultural values of this time. What did people value? What did they aspire to? For historians, images like this are important primary source documents for understanding the social life of the past.