Picture postcard of the agent Karol Rebek’s office from Kolodvorska ulica in Ljubljana who was a representative of the Red Star Line (“Proga Rudeče zvezde”) company. On it is the postal express steamship Finland.     Signing the contracts to obtain tickets, which emigrants travelling in groups usually received before embarking on a steamship, did not mean the end of problems. Many things happened on the way to ports of departure. Because of not knowing languages and not being accustomed to travelling, many were deceived and left at the mercy of representatives of different travel agencies. However, before departing people relied upon the offer and made decisions based on the attractiveness of the advertisement materials as well. “The last greeting before leaving for America!” was frequent on picture postcards, which they wrote to their families before leaving Ljubljana, in our case Ana who presumably travelled through Antwerpen to New York.

The first page of a list of passengers from the office of E. Kristan in Ljubljana, December 31st 1906.   The first page of the contract form for purchasing tickets with the company American Line issued by the agent Edvard Šmarda in Ljubljana.   A small handy folder for keeping travel documents.   »An excellent choice to travel to America is and remains through Hamburg.« An advertisement for the journey through Hamburg by new steamships, which Franc Seunig, emigrant agent in Ljubljana, calls »giants«.                                 A section of the steamship Aquitania as an information for travellers about their stay on the ship. The majority of emigrants travelled in the third class, which was usually very near the boiler rooms and frequently under water level.   Despite purchase agreements, many emigrants encountered troubles on their journey. As agent Edvard Kristan did not put money for “sailing over the sea” on the Basel account, the delegate Bartol intervened at the Provincial government in Ljubljana.   An American Line advertising leaflet with prices of journeys with their steamships in second class.   Advertising offer of the Norddeutscher Lloyd from Bremen for the journey with the express steamship Kaiser Wilhelm II and other steamships of that company. Passengers were departing from Ljubljana every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; the voyage across the Atlantic was to last five to six days.

© Institute for Slovenian Emigration Studies, Slovenian Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 2007 | All rights reserved.