Carte des lignes. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique. French line.

"A map showing the lines of the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique, published in Paris in 1959 by the publishing house Blondel La Rougery. A French shipping company, the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique, called French line overseas, was founded in 1855 by the brothers Emile and Isaac Pereire. Initially entrusted by the French government to transport mails to North America, it became famous between 1910 and 1930 with prestigious liners such as the Paris, the Ile-de-France and especially the Normandie, then in 1962, with the famous liner France, withdrawn from service in 1974, due to competition from air transport. It disappeared in 1975, when it merged with the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes, to become the Compagnie Generale Maritime. The map is decorated with a compass rose, five liners, and a French flag on which is placed a table of the countries served, with their flags. The map indicates, in red, the shipping lines, the main airlines, and the transatlantic hotels. The company did not only serve the American continent and the West Indies, it also provided connections to Spain, Algeria, Morocco, as well as northern Europe to Leningrad, which recovered its name of Saint-Petersburg in 1991. The borders are decorated with scenes and characters illustrating the countries served. The Blonde! La Rougery Editions were founded in 1902 by Edouard Blondel La Rougery. E. Blonde! La Rougery published numerous maps, including, circa 1940, a monumental bird's eye view of Paris inspired from the Turgot map of Paris of 1739. Around 1955, his successor was Max Blondel la Rougery, who directed the company until 1976." (Begonia Le Bail, 2021)