At sea, about 1902
“Reichs-Postdampfer” – “Imperial Mail Steamship”
This postcard from 1901 reads near the bottom:
“Reichs-Postdampfer ‘Prinzess Irene'”
Or, in English:
“Imperial Mail Steamship Prinzess Irene”
With some poetic license, one could say that the Franco-Prussian War put the “empire” in “imperial mail steamship.”
France was the dominant power in Europe by the middle of the nineteenth century. But Prussia challenged that dominance when it defeated Austria in the Seven Weeks War and emerged as leader of the German states. William I was King of Prussia at the time that war ended in July 1866.
Two years later, Spanish Queen Isabella II was deposed and her throne became vacant.
King William’s prime minister, Otto Von Bismarck, promoted Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (who was part of the Prussian royal house) as the next Spanish King. The French strongly opposed Bismarck’s move, fearing a closer connection between Prussia and Spain.
Although Leopold withdrew his royal candidacy in June 1870, hostility between the French and Prussians soon passed the point of no return.
The French emperor, Napoleon III, declared war on Prussia on July 19, 1870. His military advisers told Napoleon that the French army would readily defeat Prussia.
Perhaps Bismarck did not plan the war. But, as a practical matter, the war furthered Bismarck’s goal of uniting the independent states in the south of Germany. With the French declaration of war, all the southern German states acknowledged their treaty obligations to Prussia and placed their troops under the command of King William.
As soon as the fighting began, the optimism of Napoleon III’s military advisors proved misplaced.
With superior numbers and organization, the German forces made quick work of the French. After several successive victories, the Prussians defeated the main French armies and advanced on Paris. They captured Napoleon III on September 1, 1870.
The Franco-Prussian war was over by the end of September, less than three months after it began.
The unified German empire began on January 18, 1871, when King William was proclaimed German emperor at Versailles.
At sea, July 1904
“Welcome to the land of freedom” – Immigrants first see the Statue of Liberty
"NEW YORK - WELCOME TO THE LAND OF FREEDOM - AN OCEAN STEAMER PASSING THE STATUE OF LIBERTY: SCENE ON THE STEERAGE DECK."
That's the caption of this engraving, which appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper on July 2, 1887.
The Barbarossa class of ocean liners
Prinzess Irene was one of eleven Barbarossa class ocean liners, which were launched between 1896 and 1901. These are the ships in the Barbarossa class (with launch dates):
Friedrich der Grosse (1896)*
Königen Luise (1896)*
Bremen (1896)*
König Albert (1899)*
Hamburg (1899)
Grosser Kurfürst (1899)*
Prinzess Irene (1900)*
Kiautschou (1900)
Moltke (1901)
Blücher (1901)
The North German Lloyd line operated the ships indicated with an asterisk (*).
An early voyage, October 1900
First arrival in New York, September 1900
Prinzess Irene commenced its maiden voyage on September 9, 1900, arriving at the port of New York thirteen days later. There Prinzess Irene was inspected by the U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service.
“Merry Christmas” from Malaysia, 1900
"Fröhliche Weihnachten! Die Besten Wünsche zum Jahreswechsel!"
Or, in English:
"Merry Christmas! Best wishes for the New Year!"
After Prinzess Irene completed its maiden voyage to New York on September 22, 1900, the ship spent the next two-and-a-half years in the East Asian service of the North German Lloyd company. Its first sailing East was on October 30, 1900.
This postcard is postmarked Penang (Malaysia), December 3, 1900 - only a few weeks after Prinzess Irene was launched. It shows Captain Wettin, who commanded Prinzess Irene at that time.
Princess Irene of Prussia
Princess Irene of Prussia (more officially: Her Royal Highness Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine) was the namesake of the steamship, Prinzess Irene.
Born in 1866, Princess Irene was a maternal grandchild of Queen Victory and Prince Albert of England.
History tends to overlook Irene in favor of her two sisters – Ella and Alix – who both married into the Russian imperial family and were killed during the Russian revolution in 1918.
Irene was just 12 years old when her mother died following an outbreak of diphtheria in the family. Irene spent the next years, along with her sisters, under the supervision of Queen Victoria. She married Prince Henry of Prussia in 1888 and had three children.
Irene lived a relatively quiet life compared with many in her extended royal family. She died in 1953.