This original circa 1930 poster was designed by Bernd Steiner for Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen, one of Germany’s foremost transatlantic shipping companies. Its central inscription, “Bremen–New York in der I. Klasse,” translates as “Bremen–New York in First Class,” promoting the company’s prestigious passenger service between Europe and the United States.
The small text identifies the composition as a reproduction of a brochure cover designed by Professor Bernd Steiner. It was printed in Bremen by the distinguished H. M. Hauschild printing house. Norddeutscher Lloyd used refined graphic design extensively during the interwar period to associate its ocean crossings with modernity, comfort and sophisticated international travel.
A streamlined ocean liner appears against a deep blue sky, while a succession of fine gold horizontal lines transforms the sea into an almost abstract geometric pattern. Below, the route and travel class are arranged within a dramatic black circle, accompanied by an ornamental maritime emblem. The limited palette of cobalt blue, black, cream and metallic gold gives the composition a particularly elegant character.
Bernd Steiner was an Austrian graphic artist, painter and stage designer who worked in Bremen and created numerous advertisements for Norddeutscher Lloyd during the 1920s. His combination of simplified forms, carefully structured typography and decorative geometry reflects the transition from traditional travel advertising to the sophisticated Art Deco aesthetic of the interwar years.
With its elegant maritime imagery and striking modernist layout, this original period poster captures the glamour of first-class transatlantic travel before the age of commercial aviation. It is a highly decorative historical document for collectors of Art Deco design, ocean-liner memorabilia and early international travel advertising.
Original poster
Maritime Company - Germany
Hofbuchdruckerein H. M. Hauschild Bremen
Very good state
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