Cunard has always understood that genuine glamour is not a pose but a feeling—the hush that falls as a grand staircase shimmers under crystal chandeliers or the thrill of crossing the ocean with nothing but the horizon for company. In May 2025 that feeling is taking centre stage once again when the line unveils the Sea of Glamour exhibition, a 185-image tribute to nearly two centuries of voyages. Curated by revered photographer Mary McCartney and launched at Liverpool’s Royal Liver Building before touring the fleet, the show stitches together celebrity snapshots, archival treasures and guests’ own photo albums to create one immersive story of life at sea.
Whether you have long dreamt of Cunard’s white-gloved traditions or you are simply curious about the cultural weight these liners carry, this new exhibition is a golden invitation to explore the romance of ocean travel—and perhaps to plan a glamorous voyage of your own.
Charting 185 Years of Ocean-Going Style
Cunard’s archives are a visual time capsule, but Sea of Glamour re-imagines them with fresh context and curiosity.
The Photographic Legacy of Cunard
Cunard’s earliest publicity images were crafted to woo the Edwardian elite, yet even those carefully posed pictures captured unscripted moments: wind-tousled hair on deck, or children gazing wide-eyed at the massive funnels overhead. As photography evolved—first box cameras, then Kodachrome and finally smartphones—guests kept clicking. The result is a layered record of social history in motion, from 1920s flappers dancing in the Queens Room to astronauts on global goodwill tours. Sea of Glamour threads these eras together so visitors can trace how shipboard life mirrored, and sometimes set, global style trends.
Mary McCartney’s Curatorial Eye
Mary McCartney approached the project less like a museum archivist and more like a storyteller. Her selections favour authenticity over perfection: a candid laugh shared in the Verandah Grill, engineers kicking a football beneath QE2’s towering hull in 1967, or passengers wrapped in tartan blankets on a windy transatlantic crossing. By giving equal weight to celebrities and everyday travellers, McCartney reminds us that glamour is democratic—anyone can step aboard and feel part of something extraordinary.
Icons, Politicians and Royal Patronage
Among the 185 images, you will spot Elizabeth Taylor lounging on deck, a young Nelson Mandela greeting crew in Cape Town, and Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II christening Queen Mary 2. These moments underline Cunard’s status as a floating red-carpet, yet they also show famous faces loosening their ties, sipping tea, or dancing beneath paper streamers like everyone else. It is that mingling of worlds, captured on film, that makes the exhibition so compelling.
Guest Memories from Five Continents
Hundreds of Cunard loyalists answered the call for personal photographs, proving the magic of these liners spans generations and geographies.
From Sydney Sunsets to Canadian Snowbirds
Australian submissions include honeymooners waving goodbye from Circular Quay, families celebrating milestone birthdays mid-Pacific, and a lone guitarist serenading the sunrise off Fremantle. Canadian contributors share winter escapes spent crossing the Atlantic to Christmas markets, their shots of frost-rimmed railings contrasting sharply with the warm glow of shipboard festivities. Every image—sun-bleached or snow-dusted—illustrates how Cunard offers both adventure and a sense of home.
Milestones Etched in Salt Air
Proposals in the Commodore Club, golden-wedding waltzes in the Queens Room, a surprise vow-renewal officiated by the Captain on deck—these are moments too intimate for press photographers but treasured by the people who lived them. Sea of Glamour lets visitors peer into these private joys, reminding future travellers that their own celebrations can be staged against the same timeless backdrop of teak decks and ocean swells.
A Living Timeline at Sea
Presented chronologically, the guest images double as a fashion archive: flared trousers of the 1970s, power suits of the ’80s, minimalist neutrals of the 2000s. They also chart technological shift: Polaroids give way to point-and-shoot prints, then digital clarity. Yet one detail never changes—the wide smiles that come from surrendering daily routine to the rhythm of the waves.
Liverpool Launch and World Tour
Liverpool is Cunard’s spiritual home, making the Royal Liver Building an apt stage for the première.
Opening Night on the Mersey
On 27 May, VIPs and locals alike will step into an atrium transformed by McCartney’s “Sails of History”, a sculptural installation suspending billowing canvases overhead. Projections ripple across the fabric, bringing archival photos to life while an immersive soundtrack of creaking timbers, engine hum and distant gulls sweeps visitors into another era.
Queen Anne Icons: A Portrait for the Ages
To mark the 185th milestone, McCartney will photograph five Liverpudlian “Queen Anne Icons”—Melanie C, Ngunan Adamu, Natalie Haywood, Jayne Casey and Katarina Johnson-Thompson—standing together on the Pier Head as the exhibition opens. The resulting portrait nods to Cunard’s future flagship, Queen Anne, and underscores the line’s commitment to celebrating women who shape culture on both sides of the Atlantic.
Setting Sail Aboard the Fleet
After Liverpool, Sea of Glamour will rotate between Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and soon-to-debut Queen Anne. Imagine boarding in Southampton, Venice or even Sydney and finding a mini-gallery tucked beside the Grand Lobby—passengers can peruse images relevant to that voyage’s itinerary, deepening their sense of place before the first port hove into view.
Why Sea of Glamour Matters to Today’s Traveller
This exhibition is more than nostalgia; it reframes luxury cruising for a new generation seeking depth as well as decadence.
Reconnecting with Maritime Heritage
In an age of instantaneous digital content, standing before a century-old silver-gelatin print invites travellers to slow down. It contextualises modern comforts—Wi-Fi, stabilisers, spa suites—against the daring of early passengers who braved North Atlantic storms in evening dress. Heritage becomes not a museum piece but a living thread you join each time you step aboard.
Experiential Travel Done Right
Cultural immersion does not only happen ashore. Cunard’s Insight lectures, string quartets and now Sea of Glamour prove that “sea days” can be as enriching as any shore tour. Guests might attend a Mary McCartney Q&A in the Royal Court Theatre, then wander out to afternoon tea feeling intellectually sated as well as well-fed.
Storytelling You Can Touch
Because the exhibition incorporates guest photos, every visitor sees themselves as a potential contributor. That participatory element dovetails with Cunard’s modern brand language, which encourages passengers to create and share their own content—a savvy nod to Instagram while honouring the handwritten diaries of yesteryear.
Before you start packing evening wear and vintage camera gear, drop by our Cruise Finder to explore upcoming crossings that align with the travelling exhibition. A quick search reveals which sailings will host the gallery and what themed events—from costume balls to photography workshops—are planned on board.
If the idea of seeing your holiday snapshots hanging beside images of Hollywood legends excites you, remember that Cunard continues to crowd-source guest stories. Check the submission guidelines on our Cruise Finder link above and you might find your family portrait gracing a future Sea of Glamour update.
Secure Your Place in Cunard’s Living History
The ocean keeps no record of footprints, yet photographs freeze those fleeting seconds when sunlight, sea spray and sheer happiness collide. Booking a Cunard voyage is your chance to capture such moments for yourself—and perhaps for posterity.
Speak with the experts at S.W. Black Travel and we will match you to the itinerary, ship and stateroom that best reflect how you want your story framed. From transatlantic crossings steeped in tradition to exotic explorations under tropical skies, we will make sure your journey balances modern indulgence with echoes of a grander age. When you are ready, simply contact our team of travel experts and let us bring your glamorous sea daydreams into vivid reality.
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