Compagnie Generale Transatlantique

Souvenir map of a transatlantic ocean crossing from 1907.

This map of the Atlantic Ocean was published by a French shipping company in the early 20th century as a souvenir for passengers on their liners. The image certainly reinforces the global perspective of its publisher. It shows a large portion of former “New France” in North America, as well as western Europe to the German border and parts of North Africa.

This particular example was used on a voyage of the ship La Lavoie, from Le Havre to New York, which departed on August 31, 1907. The passenger spent six days crossing the Atlantic, and duly noted the ship’s latitude, longitude, and mileage in the blank areas. Charming little French flags are also drawn on the map to note each day’s progress, with the Stars & Stripes planted in New York to announce arrival on American soil. Accompanying the coordinates are observations on the weather, which notes several days of clouds during the voyage.