c.1930s SS Conte Verde Printed Tin Picture — Italian Ocean Liner Maritime Souvenir

The SS Conte Verde belonged to the great age of transatlantic travel. Launched in 1922 and entering service in 1923, the Italian liner sailed between Europe and the Americas for Lloyd Sabaudo before later serving routes to the Far East. Her most famous voyage came in 1930, when the Conte Verde carried the French, Romanian, Belgian and Brazilian football delegations toward Uruguay for the first FIFA World Cup. FIFA president Jules Rimet, three referees and the original World Cup trophy were aboard as well. This wonderfully aged printed tin picture captures the ship underway and is unusual in its construction: the image and decorative surround are formed as a single metal piece, giving it the character of early travel advertising and souvenir art rather than a conventional framed print. The warm sepia coloring, dark faux-frame effect and naturally distressed surface give it exactly the kind of time-worn presence we look for in maritime and travel pieces. Small enough to work into a gallery wall, but interesting enough that people will stop and ask about it.