Luggage Label · round 12 · the ship

A · The album page

Five photographs held down with photo corners on one album page, each captioned by hand: dinner the first night, cabin 312 made up, the lounge at four o’clock. The ship as somebody’s holiday.

The Ship

One small ship, and all of it yours.

The MS Oscar Wilde is a 169-guest river ship, sailing this week with 150. Small enough to tie up in the middle of a town, big enough for a lounge you can spread out in. No other party aboard, no other programme, and no other reason to be in the lounge at four o’clock.

A plated dish of salmon with cream and herbs on white linen, a glass of white wine beside it
Dinner, the first night
A bright ship’s cabin with a made bed, a blue throw and a window onto the water
Cabin 312, made up
An elegant lounge with plush velvet chairs, low tables and decorative vases
The lounge at four o’clock
A row of small lamps glowing along a bar counter in a dim room
The bar, later than planned
A long white river cruise ship on a wide, calm river under a pale sky
On the river, above Melk

MS Oscar Wilde · Edition No. 01

B · The deck plan

An engraved side elevation of the ship with five numbered call-outs, and beneath it five numbered prints, each with the space, where it is on the ship, and one line on what happens there. The brochure device, and the most informative.

The Ship

One small ship, and all of it yours.

The MS Oscar Wilde is a 169-guest river ship, sailing this week with 150. Small enough to tie up in the middle of a town, big enough for a lounge you can spread out in. No other party aboard, no other programme, and no other reason to be in the lounge at four o’clock.

MS Oscar Wilde · General arrangement

OSCAR WILDE12345
  1. 1A plated dish of salmon with cream and herbs on white linen, a glass of white wine beside it

    The Restaurant

    Main deck, aft

    One sitting, no assigned tables. Dinner is four courses and takes as long as it takes.

  2. 2A bright ship’s cabin with a made bed, a blue throw and a window onto the water

    A Cabin

    Middle deck, French balcony

    Sixteen to twenty-four square metres, every one outside and en suite, most with doors that open onto the river.

  3. 3An elegant lounge with plush velvet chairs, low tables and decorative vases

    The Lounge

    Upper deck, forward

    Full-height windows the whole way round. The workshop room by day, the bar by night, the best chair on the ship either way.

  4. 4A row of small lamps glowing along a bar counter in a dim room

    The Bar

    Upper deck, aft

    Where the long evening happens. Lamps along the counter, a glass of something Austrian, and nobody to tell you it is late.

  5. 5A long white river cruise ship on a wide, calm river under a pale sky

    Under Way

    The whole ship

    A hundred and thirty-five metres, four decks, built in 2017. Small enough to tie up in the middle of a town.

C · The postcards

Five postcards from the ship, printed white border, a caps line naming the space and a handwritten line under it, scattered at slight angles. Quick to read, light in tone.

The Ship

One small ship, and all of it yours.

The MS Oscar Wilde is a 169-guest river ship, sailing this week with 150. Small enough to tie up in the middle of a town, big enough for a lounge you can spread out in. No other party aboard, no other programme, and no other reason to be in the lounge at four o’clock.

A plated dish of salmon with cream and herbs on white linen, a glass of white wine beside it
MS Oscar Wilde · The RestaurantDinner, the first night
A bright ship’s cabin with a made bed, a blue throw and a window onto the water
MS Oscar Wilde · A CabinCabin 312, made up
An elegant lounge with plush velvet chairs, low tables and decorative vases
MS Oscar Wilde · The LoungeThe lounge at four o’clock
A row of small lamps glowing along a bar counter in a dim room
MS Oscar Wilde · The BarThe bar, later than planned
A long white river cruise ship on a wide, calm river under a pale sky
MS Oscar Wilde · Under WayOn the river, above Melk

D · The luggage tags

Five photographs laid as tiles, each with a die-cut tag hung off its corner carrying the space, its deck and a line. The label idiom of the rest of the page, applied to photographs.

The Ship

One small ship, and all of it yours.

The MS Oscar Wilde is a 169-guest river ship, sailing this week with 150. Small enough to tie up in the middle of a town, big enough for a lounge you can spread out in. No other party aboard, no other programme, and no other reason to be in the lounge at four o’clock.

A plated dish of salmon with cream and herbs on white linen, a glass of white wine beside it
The RestaurantMain deck, aftOne sitting, no assigned tables. Dinner is four courses and takes as long as it takes.
A bright ship’s cabin with a made bed, a blue throw and a window onto the water
A CabinMiddle deck, French balconySixteen to twenty-four square metres, every one outside and en suite, most with doors that open onto the river.
An elegant lounge with plush velvet chairs, low tables and decorative vases
The LoungeUpper deck, forwardFull-height windows the whole way round. The workshop room by day, the bar by night, the best chair on the ship either way.
A row of small lamps glowing along a bar counter in a dim room
The BarUpper deck, aftWhere the long evening happens. Lamps along the counter, a glass of something Austrian, and nobody to tell you it is late.
A long white river cruise ship on a wide, calm river under a pale sky
Under WayThe whole shipA hundred and thirty-five metres, four decks, built in 2017. Small enough to tie up in the middle of a town.

E · The particulars

A shipping-line brochure spread: the restaurant large, the ship’s particulars as a ruled list beside it (built, length, decks, cabins, guests), and the other four spaces as a strip beneath. Facts first.

The Ship

One small ship, and all of it yours.

The MS Oscar Wilde is a 169-guest river ship, sailing this week with 150. Small enough to tie up in the middle of a town, big enough for a lounge you can spread out in. No other party aboard, no other programme, and no other reason to be in the lounge at four o’clock.

A plated dish of salmon with cream and herbs on white linen, a glass of white wine beside it
The Restaurant One sitting, no assigned tables. Dinner is four courses and takes as long as it takes.

Particulars

Ship
MS Oscar Wilde
Built
2017
Length
135 metres
Decks
Four, one of them open
Cabins
84, all outside, all en suite
Guests
Usually 169. This week, 150 knitters
Aboard
Restaurant, bistro, lounge and bar, sun deck, lift
  • A bright ship’s cabin with a made bed, a blue throw and a window onto the water

    A Cabin

    Middle deck, French balcony

  • An elegant lounge with plush velvet chairs, low tables and decorative vases

    The Lounge

    Upper deck, forward

  • A row of small lamps glowing along a bar counter in a dim room

    The Bar

    Upper deck, aft

  • A long white river cruise ship on a wide, calm river under a pale sky

    Under Way

    The whole ship