Meal Ticket


Brief Overview

A Seating ticket for a meal on board a ship.

2004.107.10- Gift of Beverly Ertman in memory of John Ertman.


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The difference between first class and steerage passengers lessened as the years went by but they were still significant.

Early ships advertised spacious first class cabins, smoking and music rooms and a promenade deck and a separate dining room.

Steerage passengers had to share rather narrower cabins and bathing facilities and ate in a common dining room which did not have room for everyone to be seated at once. It was therefore neccesary to have a meal ticket which informed you which shift you belonged to and which seat was yours and you were required to be on time so that the meal could be over as quickly and as efficiently as possible to make room for other hungry passengers.

In this case the passenger on the Gdynia line tourist class was John Ertman. He was given a seat at table number 44 for the early sitting.