Christening the Ship

A tightly framed composition focuses upon the traditional christening of a new ship, whose size can only be inferred. Unlike a peacetime ceremony, the dignitaries are military and the occasion is serious. Using a limited palette of saturated colors--red, white, and blue almost required--Ronay finds the opportunity to incorporate small details like the anchor pattern on a young woman's dress or the admiral's decorations.

Despite the needs of wartime production, Ronay lightens the circumstances with some mild satire: below where a champagne bottle is about to be broken, we see a funnel to catch its precious contents. It's an acknowledgement of wartime scarcity and rationing, along with a stubbornness not to suspend familiar ceremonies.

Ronay, Stephen R[obert] , 1900-1983

Liberty 2 May 1942: cover

Courtesy of Ken Cooper

Magazine cover illustration

8.5 x 11 in.