Lot 73: HUGO KOEKE HAMBURG-AMERIKA LINIE NACH NEW YORK. Circa 1930.

47x32 1/2. Muhlmeister & Johler.
Condition B+: tears in margins; tape on verso (slightly showing through). Paper.
Before the First World War, the Hamburg America Line, with 175 ships, was the largest merchant fleet in the world. With much of her fleet destroyed during the war, HAPAG spent the inter-war years rebuilding, focussing on efficient, economic ships of medium size. Four ships were at the center of this effort, the Albert Baillin (named after the company's pre-war managing director) and her sister ship Deutschland, and two similar ships, the New York and the Hamburg. Known as the "famous four", these ships were reported to be the steadiest on the Atlantic. A strong, Art Deco image.