L'Atlantique: a 1930s transatlantic newspaper

Once upon a time, there was a daily newspaper that was written on board a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Its name: L’Atlantique.

Here’s a description of the newspaper from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France:

L’Atlantique: a daily paper published on board the ocean liners of the Compagnie générale transatlantique: latest news received by wireless telegraphy

On the inside masthead of the paper was the name of the ship it was reporting aboard and the name of the ship captain. In the editions I saw, L’Atlantique published from the SS Normandie and MS Lafayette.

Articles were printed news and announcements in English on a few pages before switching to French, serving passengers from both sides of the ocean. It gave the very latest updates on global politics, passengers information, cartoons and fun cultural items.

Not all stories were published in both languages. For example, the disappearance of Amelia Earheart was reported in English but not in French. However, a 1937 expo in Paris was reported in both. Here is a sample of articles and headlines:

Some features were written to describe French influence on American culture, such as the article “France on the Mississippi” about how French art and culture were thriving in the US in the 1930s. Another one entitled “France in California” details how French colonial influence was experienced in California. Likewise, an article was entitled “American Landmarks in Paris” detailing - well, you guessed it.

L’Atlantique was published between 1921 and 1953, but there were many years in between those dates when it wasn’t published at all. One issue was printed during its first year, in 1921, with the most issues — 350 — printed in 1937. (My question is, what brought on this popularity in ocean liners in the late 1930s? Assuming the printing of this newspaper coincided with full ships…)

I learned that there was a previous iteration of the newspaper, which had been disrupted by World War I and rendered it out of print until it was revived in a new format in 1921. The debut of this newer version touted itself as being more in tune with transatlantic passengers’ interests, namely Americans. Art, tourism, and promotions of best attractions in France and the U.S. Oh, and plenty of advertisements from both sides of the Atlantic:

Once in a while, L’Atlantique would provide a list of passengers on board the ocean liners:

One article detailed the establishment of a French Information Center, funded by the US and French governments. Look at some of the things people queried the center about (fascinating!):

There is so much more to tell you about L’Atlantique but I’m at the Detroit airport heading to Paris, so my time is limited. But I really enjoyed bringing you yet another interesting gem courtesy of the Biblothèque Nationale de Paris!

Source: L'Atlantique: BnF Gallica