Celebrating 100 years of photography on the ocean waves.

Cunard calls on guests to share magical moments for centennial Sea Views exhibition.

January 9, 2023 [Southampton, UK] 

Luxury cruise line Cunard snaps up world-renowned photographer Mary McCartney to curate 100 years of photographs for a new exhibition.

Cunard is calling on guests to find images that could form part of the exhibition, alongside never before seen imagery from the Cunard archives.

The exhibition marks two centenaries - 100 years since Cunard was the first cruise line to introduce on-board photographers and 100 years since their first round-the-world voyage.

“We’re delighted to be working with the wonderful Mary McCartney to create this exhibition and can’t wait to see the unforgettable moments that our guests have captured over the years.” Sture Myrmell, Cunard President

Luxury cruise line Cunard has announced it will be launching a ‘Sea Views’ exhibition in 2023, featuring never before seen imagery from the Cunard archives, together with a selection of photos submitted by the guests and curated by photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney.

The Sea Views exhibition will mark two key centenaries – the first being that 100 years ago, Cunard was the first cruise line to introduce an on-board photographer to capture the signature moments of their guests' voyage. The second is the 100-year anniversary of the first ever round-the-world cruise on Cunard’s ship Laconia.

To celebrate both of these momentous centenaries, Cunard has partnered with British photographer Mary McCartney to curate the unique exhibition of 100 images captured across their fleet of ships. With previous guests including Hollywood icons such as Elizabeth Taylor and Bing Crosby, Cunard will be opening up their archives to select photographs that showcase the glamor, grandeur and timeless style for which Cunard has become famous.

Siân Wilks, Cunard Archivist at the University of Liverpool Library, said: “With over 14,000 images stored in the Cunard archives in Liverpool – the founding home port of Cunard Line – we have a wealth of memories from the 1920s to present day to choose from. We are extremely excited to work alongside Mary McCartney to launch the Sea Views exhibition.”

In addition to the archived photos that will be exhibited, Cunard is calling on guests to share any photographs they may have collected over the years when traveling on board a Cunard ship, capturing special moments, amazing views and unique experiences. All images shared will be reviewed, with selected images to be part of this rare, centennial exhibition. 

British photographer, Mary McCartney said: “I’m pleased to curate an exhibition within this treasure trove of 100 years of on-board photography.  I’m looking forward to exploring the archives and the crowdsourced images to hand pick a portfolio of iconic images that will reflect a century of luxury travel.”

Sture Myrmell, Cunard President, said: “We’re extremely proud of Cunard’s 183-year history and particularly the fact we pioneered the round-the-world voyage 100 years ago. What better way to celebrate this centenary anniversary than by curating a fantastic selection of images from our guests who’ve traveled with us? We’re delighted to be working with the wonderful Mary McCartney to create this exhibition and can’t wait to see the unforgettable moments that our guests have captured over the years.”