{"product_id":"s-s-matsonia-hawaiian-cruise-ephemera","title":"1958-1959 S.S. Matsonia Hawaiian Cruise Ephemera","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis personal archive of ephemera archives the New Year's vacation of one Mr. Rudy Fitch from Los Angeles to Honolulu aboard the SS Matsonia luxury passenger liner. Each item in this collection evinces a meticulous design so potent in its aim of glamorizing even the smallest aspect of Mr. Fitch's trip that he took pains to preserve even his ticket jacket and lunch menus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIncluded here are:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA \"Matson Log Book\" to preserve such ephemera, calling itself a \"repository for memories of your voyage\" that enables past passengers \"to rekindle warm memories of one of the happiest experiences of [their] life\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTickets and ticket jackets for Mr. Fitch's boarding of the S.S. Matsonia in Los Angeles and his returning Pan American flight out of Honolulu, both with handwritten details such as price and date\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInformational material\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"Passenger List\" featuring a pictorial map of the Pacific and complete directory of passengers and staff\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e4 issues of \u003cem\u003eThe Polynesian—\u003c\/em\u003ea newsletter with daily itineraries, a list of amenities, and world news such as Fidel Castro officially assuming office and the USSR's \u003cem\u003eLuna 1\u003c\/em\u003e achieving the world's first solar orbit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIssue of \u003cem\u003eThe Polynesian\u003c\/em\u003e outlining emergency procedures, facilities \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e              and services, fun facts about the S.S. Matsonia, a table of nautical terms, and a map of Matson service across the South Pacific\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDining material\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCocktail menu from the Hawaiian Village Hotel offering an array of tiki fare and featuring a cartoon meant to capture the experience of drinking an especially strong \"zombie\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e2 \"Luncheon\" menus from the Matsonia's dining room decorated with an illustration of a Hawaiian woman beneath a banana tree\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e5 dinner menus from the Matsonia's dining room each depicting unique watercolor scenes from islands along Matson's route. Interestingly, each depict indigenous populations besides the Australian edition which features koalas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMenu from the Coconut Grove Hotel's Vana Vana restaurant in Waikiki\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eActivity Souvenirs\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e3 \"Race Cards\" from the onboard game room's tabletop horserace simulator\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFolding brochure for Lau Yee Chai, the \"World's Largest, Most Beautiful Chinese Restaurant \u0026amp; Nightclub\" billed as a \"Chinese Utopia Created at Waikiki\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBooklet cataloging an exhibit recreating the Japanese village of Nikko with glossy photos of both the original structures and their Hawaiian recreations\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"Here is Hawaii\" booklet of glossy photographs depicting local populations, flora and fauna, and tourist activities offered throughout the state\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePersonal Souvenirs \n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e5 photos of Mr. Fitch socializing aboard the Matsonia each stored in a protective jacket depicting the liner bordered by a heart-shaped lei\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 standard postcard with an illustration of the Matsonia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 large postcard with a photograph of the Matsonia at port in Honolulu\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThis unique archive captures Matson at the height of an era it was about to lose. In January 1959 Hawaii was still a territory and \u003cem\u003eThe Polynesian\u003c\/em\u003e datelines its news \"Honolulu, T.H.,\" seven months before statehood. At the time, Matson was less a steamship line than a fully integrated vacation, operating the ships, the Waikiki hotels, and the visual language that sold both.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat language saturates every item: a house style of commissioned watercolor and mid-century illustration in which Neptune and a mermaid chart the South Pacific, hula dancers ornament the luncheon card, and each dinner menu offers a painted island population for consumption alongside the entrées as a mythologized Polynesia assembled for mainland tourists. Most striking is that Matson understood precisely what it was manufacturing, issuing passengers a Log Book in which to file the disposable paper of their trip, corporate branding authoring its customers' nostalgia in advance.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"New World Cartographic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43514541310013,"sku":"92402","price":375.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0390\/9705\/files\/92402t.png?v=1788108121","url":"https:\/\/nwcartographic.com\/products\/s-s-matsonia-hawaiian-cruise-ephemera","provider":"New World Cartographic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}