Matson Vintage Art

10/09/2026

A Night in Hawaiʻi Aboard the S.S. Lurline, 1935 🌺

On October 3, 1935, passengers aboard Matson Lines’ S.S. Lurline enjoyed a special “A Night in Hawaii” dinner, featuring a menu presented in both Hawaiian and English.

The striking Art Deco cover features a stylized Hawaiian sailing canoe with a dramatic gray sail, making this a beautiful example of 1930s modernist design.

09/24/2026

Imagine arriving in Honolulu aboard Matson Lines’ S.S. Matsonia—welcomed at Aloha Tower with music, hula, flower leis, and the spirit of Aloha, with legendary Hawaiian entertainer Ray Kinney there to greet passengers.

Kinney carried that same aloha across the Pacific, introducing mainland audiences to Hawaiian music through songs like “Across the Sea.” 🎶

This was arriving in Hawaiʻi, Matson style. 🌺

The best of Hawaii vintage art prints originally created for Matson’s cruise ships and Waikiki hotels.

09/19/2026

As we celebrate Aloha Festivals, we’re looking back at one of our favorites: Aloha…The Universal Word. 🌺

This colorful artwork was part of a series created for Matson Navigation Company, capturing the warmth, beauty and pageantry of old Hawaiʻi. In 1948, the artwork appeared on dinner menus aboard Matson Lines S.S. Lurline en route to Hawaii. Passengers saved these menus as treasured keepsakes. ✨

Then and now, aloha is more than a word, it’s a welcome, a connection 🫶 and a way of bringing people together.

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The best of Hawaii vintage art prints originally created for Matson’s cruise ships and Waikiki hotels.

09/11/2026

Imagine sailing into Honolulu aboard Matson Lines Lurline 🚢. Aloha Tower comes into view, flower lei are waiting on shore, the Royal Hawaiian Band is playing, and the air is filled with the spirit of aloha.

That feeling of welcome comes alive in this beautiful 1938 Matson Lines advertisement featuring Pualani Mossman, photographed by Anton Bruehl. With her radiant smile and hibiscus in her hair, Pualani became the beloved “Matson Girl” and an enduring face of Hawaiʻi’s ✨ golden age of travel.

Just eight years after this image appeared, Aloha Week began in 1946, celebrating Hawaiʻi’s music 🎶, dance and cultural traditions. That celebration grew into what we know today as Aloha Festivals, marking its 80th anniversary in 2026.

A beautiful reminder that some welcomes are never forgotten. Aloha! 🌺

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08/23/2026

Imagine settling in for dinner aboard Matson Lines S.S. Lurline on a voyage to Hawaiʻi in the mid-1930s: 🚢🌺

You are presented with a beautifully designed Art Deco–inspired menu cover by Frank McIntosh, whose bold, vibrant colors 🎨 brought scenes of the South Pacific to life with tropical flowers, fruit, hula, and ocean life.

McIntosh’s menus lived beyond the sea, becoming treasured souvenirs and lasting reminders of journeys across the Pacific. ✨
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The best of Hawaii vintage art prints originally created for Matson’s cruise ships and Waikiki hotels.

08/11/2026

Imagine seeing Honolulu come into view from the deck of Matson Lines S.S. Matsonia in the 1930s. 🌺

Music drifts from the pier. Hula dancers wave as crowds gather along the waterfront. Soon, you’ll be welcomed ashore with a flower lei, gently draped over your shoulders in the spirit of aloha.

These were Honolulu’s famous Boat Days and your vacation had only just begun. ✨

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The best of Hawaii vintage art prints originally created for Matson’s cruise ships and Waikiki hotels.

08/02/2026

🌉 The Golden Gate Bridge slowly faded into the distance.

Ahead: weeks at sea, endless blue horizons, and unforgettable stops in Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, and Australia aboard Matson Lines legendary sister ships, S.S. Mariposa and S.S. Monterey.

Happy National Sisters Day to this iconic duo. ⚓️🌺

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The best of Hawaii vintage art prints originally created for Matson’s cruise ships and Waikiki hotels.

07/24/2026

🎉 Happy Birthday, Amelia Earhart!

“The lure of flying is the lure of beauty.” - AE

🌺 On December 27, 1934, Amelia Earhart arrived in Honolulu aboard Matson Lines S.S. Lurline. She was greeted at Aloha Tower with hula, fragrant lei, and the spirit of aloha—her smile says everything.

✈️ Here’s to the pioneering aviator whose adventurous spirit inspires us to look beyond the horizon. ✨

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The best of Hawaii vintage art prints originally created for Matson’s cruise ships and Waikiki hotels.

07/19/2026

Imagine standing on the deck of the 🚢 S.S. Lurline as Hawaiian music drifts through the sea breeze. Before Honolulu even comes into view, graceful hula dancers greet you with warm smiles, welcoming you to the islands through song, movement, and aloha. 🌺

Whether performing aboard Matson’s famed ocean liner or beneath the palms of Waikīkī, these talented women shared the beauty and traditions of Hawaiʻi, introducing travelers to the islands…one dance at a time. ✨

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07/11/2026

As the International ʻUkulele Festival of Hawaiʻi begins, we celebrate the ʻukulele players whose music welcomed travelers and shared the spirit of Hawaiʻi with the world. 🌺🌏

When The Royal Hawaiian welcomed its first guests in 1927, Chick Daniels was there to greet them with an ʻukulele and the aloha that made him a Waikīkī legend for the next 50 years.

Ray Kinney carried that same aloha across the Pacific, introducing mainland audiences to Hawaiian music 🎶 through songs like “Across the Sea” in 1935.

And aboard Matson’s S.S. Lurline in the early 1950s, Howard K. Morris filled each voyage with the music of Hawaiʻi, teaching passengers to play ʻukulele and dance the hula. Inspired by life at sea, he later wrote “Romance on the S.S. Lurline.”

This weekend’s festival celebrates more than an instrument—it honors the generations of ʻukulele players who have kept Hawaiʻi’s musical heritage alive. ✨

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