This week’s blog post is a selection of dinner menus from the Chung Collection, which is held at UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections. The Chung Collection contains many materials including travel pamphlets, itineraries and menus from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, which was a large enterprise that dealt in railway and non-railway transportation and travel. These menus are from the commercial passenger trains, steamships and hotels and offer insight into the lavish fare that one could expect from these extravagant excursions.
Empress of Japan, 16th April 1931
Today in 1931, this beautiful art deco illustration was the cover of the “au revoir dinner menu” on the Empress of Japan. The menu features wine suggestions, dinner, salad and dessert offerings.
This dining car menu is from the Dominion train in 1936 and includes both set and a la carte menus. It features a beautiful photograph of Kicking Horse River on the cover.
Empress of Britain, Meridian Day menu, 1937
This Meridian Day menu from the Empress of Britain features musical selections alongside the dinner menu. The cover of this menu features an illustration of the ship and a golden chariot being pulled by three white horses.
Empress of France, 17th September 1955
This menu is from the Empress of France and features a beautiful view of Castle Mountain from the Canadian Pacific Railway Line on the front page. The menu also features information about the mountain on the back page, including the reason for its renaming in 1946 from Castle Mountain to Mt. Eisenhower, the name which it held until 1979.
I hope you enjoyed seeing what passengers on Canadian Pacific trains and steamships were eating in the 1930’s-50’s.
Thank you for reading!