Le Paquebot Portugal (S.S. Portugal) was originally built in 1886 for the Brazil and River Plate Line of the Messageries Maritimes Company. She was chartered or purchased by the Russians for use as a hospital ship in the Black Sea during the first world war. On March 30 1916 she was sunk by a torpedo from the German U-boat U-33.

This 1903 menu image of a hippo server delivering a bowl was created by the French illustrator and watercolor artist Auguste Vimar. Born in Marseille, France, in 1851, he became an illustrator for children’s books and also contributed some of his wonderful animal images to Le Figaro Illustré. He died in 1916. The hippo server and the crocodile bringing the drinks were part of Vimar’s contribution to the fashion at that time for fantastical art images – later this style of artwork became known as magical realism.

Vimar created a range of witty animal-themed illustrations for the Messageries Maritimes fleet - see all the ones we have here. 

Courtesy Private Collection.

Each print is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu where available.

All prints come with a white border, for ease of framing. 

We make our prints with archival-quality 100% cotton fine art paper, using Canon Lucia Pro pigment inks. Properly framed or stored, our prints will last 70+ years without fading or discolouring.

All our prints up to A2 size are made in-house in the UK. For larger prints, we work with the best commercial giclée printers in the UK.