Embark with Chicago Art Deco Society as we board the S.S.  Île de France, the first ocean liner of the  Interwar Period. Conceived as a way of proclaiming France’s  political influence and cultural achievement through her groundbreaking Art Deco interiors, over the course of her thirty-two year career the vessel found herself playing the role of trendsetter, cinema muse, troopship, and rescue vessel. Historian Christian Roden will share rediscovered stories and photographs of the Île de France from the Association French Line archives and answer questions during a Q&A session in this presentation entitled: The S.S.  Île de France: An Ambassador at Sea.

Presenter Christian Roden has worked in the museum, cultural heritage, and higher education sectors, with a  particular focus on maritime history. He has designed and facilitated conferences, led tours, and consulted with several museums on rotating exhibits and permanent interpretive materials. Christian currently works for the Advancement Office for Penn Libraries and the University of Pennsylvania. He holds degrees from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture at the University of Delaware and Washington & Lee University, and also studied at St. Anne’s College, Oxford and L’école France Langue. He was a 2011-2012 Fulbright Research Fellow to France based at Association French Lines in Le Havre, where he conducted a year-long research project on the cultural and political history of the ocean liner S.S. Île de France.

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