Join the McFaddin-Ward House Museum for “The Golden Age of Ocean Liners: A Short History from 1897 to the Present,” a free public lecture presented by Brian Dudley on Thursday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Museum’s Visitor Center Lecture Hall (1906 Calder Avenue, Beaumont).
Historian Brian Dudley will voyage through the storied history of the grand North Atlantic ocean liners that traveled the seas for more than half a century, tracing the technological, architectural, and decorative evolution of these great ships from 1897 to the present day. Dudley will also explain how these impressive ships helped shape world events and impacted history in the 20th century.
Since the age of four, Dudley has been fascinated by ocean liners. Throughout his life, he has researched the captivating history of these wonderful ships in museums and libraries across the country and has acquired a personal library of more than 200 ocean liner-related books, as well as a vast collection of ocean liner memorabilia.
Dudley has made several transatlantic crossings on the France, the Queen Elizabeth 2, and the Queen Mary 2, experiencing the wonders of an ocean liner voyage first-hand. He enjoys sharing his extensive knowledge of these legendary ships and has found a great avocation in lecturing.
McFaddin-Ward House Museum lectures are admission-free and open to the public, but space is limited. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more information, call 409-832-2134.
For those unable to attend, the full lecture will be available for viewing on the museum YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@mcfaddinwardhouse), Facebook (facebook.com/McFaddinWardHouse), and website (mcfaddin-ward.org/about/videos) after the event.
In conjunction with the lecture, the Art Museum of Southeast Texas (500 Main St., Beaumont) will offer lecture attendees and enthusiasts a private tour of its exhibition, “Julius Stockfleth: Dawn of a Century,” on Friday, June 12, at 10 a.m. The exhibition features the work of marine and landscape painter Julius Stockfleth, whose most notable paintings include famous ships that sailed during the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the paintings on display depicts the HMHS Britannic, which was built by White Star Line and launched in 1914. The younger sister of the RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic, Britannic was intended to enter service as a transatlantic passenger liner but was lost during World War I.