Project Funding Partners
This project was made possible through the combined support of:
$25,500 from QMI
$20,000 from Queen Mary Heritage Foundation
$6,479 from the Queen Mary
This wouldn't have been possible without you! Be a part of history, donate to help us fund future restoration projects aboard the RMS Queen Mary
PROJECT FUNDING
This project's funding has been completed with a to a total of
$15,800 from Queen Mary Heritage Foundation
Your contributions made this project a reality! Be a part of history, donate to help us fund future restoration projects aboard the RMS Queen Mary
Queen Mary
Restoration Project:
Kenneth Shoesmith & the painting
Madonna and the Ship's Officer
The Madonna of the Atlantic was both a functional and symbolic element within the Queen Mary’s First Class drawing room, revealed during religious services and concealed behind decorative panels when the room returned to its primary social use. This dual purpose reflects the flexibility of shipboard design, where spaces were carefully adapted to serve multiple roles without sacrificing refinement. The painting was created by Kenneth D. Shoesmith, a former ship’s officer whose years at sea informed his artistic work. Frequently commissioned by major shipping lines, including Cunard, Shoesmith produced promotional posters, postcards, and onboard artwork that helped define the visual identity of transatlantic travel. He completed numerous pieces for the Queen Mary itself, bringing a consistent artistic language to both its public image and its interior experience.
Restoration
OBJECTIVES
Testing & Stabilization
Filling Holes and Losses
Residue Removal
In-Paint Losses
Reduce Gouges & Scuffs in Gold Leaf
This project will stabilize the painting, address areas of deterioration, and restore its visual integrity while preserving original materials. Work will include detailed condition documentation and testing, stabilization of the canvas edges, and the careful removal of unknown residues from the perimeter. Areas of loss will be filled and in-painted to reintegrate the surface, while gouges and scuffs in the gold leaf will be reduced and adjusted for a cohesive appearance. The project will conclude with full treatment reporting and photographic documentation, ensuring the work is preserved to Department Of Interior conservation standards.
MADONNA OF THE ATLANTIC
First Class Drawing Room Painting
Year Originally Installed: 1936
Creator(s): Kenneth Shoesmith
Materials: Oil Paint, gold leaf
Description:
The Madonna of the Atlantic was created as a focal point for the Queen Mary’s First Class chapel, offering a moment of reflection within the broader spectacle of the ship’s interiors. Executed in gold leaf, the painting draws from traditional religious iconography while reflecting Cunard’s refined, carefully curated aesthetic. It served not only as a work of art, but as a source of reassurance for passengers crossing the Atlantic, grounding the experience in something steady and familiar.
Over decades of service, wartime conversion, and subsequent years as a stationary attraction, the painting experienced gradual deterioration. Accumulations of dust and debris, areas of surface loss, and instability along the canvas edges have affected its condition. Residue along the perimeter and scuffing within the gold leaf have further diminished its visual clarity, obscuring the luminosity and detail that originally defined the work.
