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A bit before my time, travel on the New York Central Railroad was clearly more romantic.

Salukis, the Oriental Greyhounds, were the preferred Art Deco fashion statement dog.

Michèle Morgan, Wikipedia entry.

Bachrach

The Dornier DO X 1929-1932 was the largest, heaviest, and most luxurious seaplane ever built. It was built to carry 66 passengers on long-distance flights or 100 on short flights with luxurious accommodations up to the standards set by the top-end steamship liners. There were three decks, which featured a smoking room with bar, a dining salon, and seating for the 66 passengers which could also be converted to sleeping berths for night flights.

A series of unlucky, non-fatal accidents occurred during the planes’s first flights, the Depression ruined Dornier’s marketing plan, and manufacturing was suspended after only the first three examples had been built.

Mercury Train, 1936, designed by Herbert Dreyfuss.

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detail, Chrysler Building, 1930, designed by William van Alen.

1929 MAGESTIC

The Vintagent:

Georges Roy began motorcycle production with an unorthodox ‘New Motorcycle’ with a pressed steel chassis, then moved further from the mainstream, beginning production of the hub-center steered Majestic in 1929. The machine is a brilliant Art Deco sculpture, with a swooping unbroken line from the curved front wheel beak to the sporty abbreviated tail. The side panels are punctuated by louvers like a racing car (and the bike pictured is painted Bugatti / French racing blue). As the entire chassis is pressed thin-gauge steel, the overall weight is fairly low – I would estimate from hefting and pushing one around that it weighs 350lb. The chassis is constructed using two mirror-image side pressings, rivetted together by firewalls at the front and back of the engine, with further strengthening panels beneath the engine, plus the two large, fixed top panels. The whole structure, much like a monocoque car (or a late Cosworth /Norton racer), is extremely rigid. The central engine cover is removable for access) …, and … the side members are totally louvered to keep the engine cool. There’s plenty of room in the engine bay for a large motor, or even a radiator for a water-cooled machine. The petrol tank sits under the front bulkhead.

1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Erdmann & Rossi

Via Ratak Monodosico.

Gear Patrol:

The R7 shows how deep art deco influence ran. A pure prototype, the R7 stands as one of the most stunning bikes ever created. The opulent mudguards, the fluid sculpture of the body and the ornate steel and chrome all lend to an unparalleled design for motorcycles. Its telescopic front forks also happen to be the first ever on a two-wheeler. Every aspect of the bike contributed to its elegant design, including the enclosed gas tank, the smooth rocker covers and the uniquely shaped exhaust. The bike was stored away in the 1940s and brought back to life by BMW Classics in 2005. Thank the motorcycle gods the R7 survived, since nothing else on two wheels looks anything like it, nor ever will.

Via Ratak Monodosico.