Dinner in the Steerage of a Transatlantic Steamship - 1890
This article describes the meal arrangements for steerage passengers on a French Line steamship in 1890. It highlights the surprisingly good quality and quantity of food provided, which included breakfast, a midday meal, and dinner, with items like soup, meat dishes, vegetables, and fruit, complemented by wine. The narrative also notes the diverse nationalities among the passengers and the overall decent treatment and conditions, especially compared to other steamship lines of the time.
Dinner is Being Served to Steerage Passengers on a French Line Steamship circa 1890. Note the Racks of Bunk Beds in the Background where the Steerage Passengers Slept. Harper's Weekly Supplement, 22 November 1890. GGA Image ID # 145c2d6def
Sorting out the grades and qualities of those who seek the United States, coming from abroad, it is to be asserted that this human freight as found in the vessels of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique is of a good kind.
Today the bulk of this steerage is made up of Italians. Still, there is a vast difference between the Piedmontese and Lombards and the Neapolitans and Sicilians.
These first two are clean and not illiterate, and they bring with them some little means. Of the Swiss, they are among the best of our immigrants. They are, for the significant part, brought up to trade, in which they excel, or if agriculturists are proficient in their calling. They are invariably industrious.
French people do not come in quantity by any steamers. France has Algeria as an adjacent colony, and Africa is only across the Mediterranean, a day's passage from Marseilles.
On these French steamers, the provisions are ample and well-cooked. The messes are divided into ten, and the menu is as follows:
A small glass of spirits, generally known as "Taffia," is distributed early in the morning. The women and children have well-made condensed milk given to them as a substitute for spirits.
At seven o'clock A.M., there is an early breakfast of coffee, bread, and butter, without any stint as to bread, which is regular bread, and not ship-biscuit.
At 11 A.M., there is the regulation déjeuner, consisting of soup, a dish of meat, one of the vegetables, all the bread the people can eat, and a quarter of a liter of good red wine for each one.
At 5 P.M., dinner is served, and there is a dish of meat, one of the vegetables, and always stewed fruit of some kind, with another quarter of a liter of wine. This certainly is ample and wholesome.
First-class passengers, accustomed to the excellent food of their cabin table, often speak of the good odors arising from the cook's galley, where the ragouts and the "haricot de mouton" for the steerage are prepared.
M. de Thulstrup has drawn a neat sketch of a dinner in the steerage in one of these French ships. You can see the nationalities.
To the extreme right, they are people of German origin. A mother is taking care of her children, the boy taking solid comfort out of a thick slice of bread-and-butter, and an older man on the bench, eating his soup with a spoon, is the grandfather.
The little girl with the blond plaits ought to be Swiss, as is her mother. He who looks into the bottom of his coffee cup is a Frenchman, and the graceful figures are of the same nationality.
The waiter comes in with a large tin and a kettle full of soup in one hand.
As Dr. Johnson said of that London brewery, there is potentiality in the steerage of this kind. It means the future of this country.
No one present can become President of the United States, for, as we know, he must be born here. Still, the two boys Mr. de Thulstrup has put in his illustration may be our future statesmen—Senators or Governors.
It may be insisted upon that onboard these steamers, the physical condition of these people on arrival is, for the significant part, excellent. They have been well fed and cared for, and just something more, they have known how to care for themselves.
Save, then, for table manners, which may not be perfect, nine days or less passed in the steerage of one of these French steamers brings no actual discomfort. It has happened that many an American, starting in full feather for a foreign tour, having had his plumage plucked, has been very glad to return home again as a steerage passenger and without loss of personal respect.
Conclusion
Steerage passengers on French Line steamships in 1890 received ample and well-prepared meals, including wine, which was unusual for the time. Despite the generally poor reputation of steerage conditions, this account shows that some lines offered relatively decent accommodations and food.
Key points
- 🍞 Ample Food: Bread, butter, coffee, soup, meat, vegetables, and fruit.
- 🍷 Wine Provision: Quarter-liter of wine served with meals.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Diverse Passengers: Included Italians, Swiss, Germans, and French.
- 🚿 Sanitary Conditions: Relatively clean compared to other lines.
- 🛏️ Sleeping Quarters: Mention of bunk beds in the background.
- 🌍 Cultural Interaction: Diverse nationalities interacting and sharing experiences.
- 📜 Historical Context: Reflects better-than-average steerage conditions for the era.
- 🍽️ Dining Routine: Regular and structured meal times.
- 🎨 Illustrations: Sketches showing dining scenes in steerage.
- 🌐 Broader Impact: Insights into immigrant experiences during transatlantic voyages.
Summary
- Meal Provisions: Passengers received ample food, including bread, coffee, soup, meat, vegetables, and fruit.
- Wine Included: Each meal came with a quarter-liter of wine, a luxury in steerage.
- Diverse Demographics: Passengers from various European countries shared the journey.
- Sanitary Conditions: Compared favorably to other lines of the time.
- Structured Dining: Regular meal times provided a semblance of order.
- Passenger Interaction: Cultural exchanges among diverse nationalities.
- Illustrations: Sketches depicted the steerage dining experience.
- Historical Insight: Offers a glimpse into the lives of 19th-century immigrants.
- Better Conditions: Highlighted as better than typical steerage standards.
- Legacy: Reflects the broader immigrant experience of the period.
"Dinner in the Steerage of a Transatlantic Steamer," in Harper's Weekly Supplement, New York: Harper & Brothers, Vol. XXXIV, No. 1770, 22 November 1890, p. 920+.
