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BY SEA, TRANSPORTATION MENUS 
The first dining service on a train was initiated in 1862, in a converted baggage car. The menu featured oysters, crullers, and coffee. By the 1880s, George Pullman had dining cars on railroads crisscrossing the United States, serving repasts that might include wild turkey, Lake Superior whitefish, or fifteen kinds of bread. In the early twentieth century, travel by rail was refined and unhurried; dining service followed those precepts. A printed menu always listed an amazing variety of dishes, considering most items were prepared while in transit. In addition to the regular breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, many railroads offered specialized children's menus and cocktail lists.
With the rise of air travel during the 1950s, passenger rail service began a slow decline. By the 1960s most major routes had been curtailed, and the once preferred choice of transportation for millions of Americans became more of a memory than a travel option. American Airlines introduced in-flight meals in 1936. The romance and glamour associated with early air travel provided an opportunity to design menus that were compact and straightforward for easy handling. The covers had images that might include flight destinations, corporate logos, or decorative maps. When Northwest Airlines inaugurated cocktail service in the air in 1949, beverage menus were also provided to passengers, reflecting a time when the cost of air travel limited its access to most Americans. As the popularity of flying increased dramatically with the introduction of affordable jet travel, meal quality declined for coach passengers. Eventually printed menus were abandoned as meal choices diminished. Menus in first-class sections remain, but the demise of good in-flight meals make vintage airline menus artifacts of another era.
Ships such as Cunard's Queen Mary and the French line's Normandy featured the Art Deco-inspired details of their interiors and paintings on some of their menus. Several domestic liners incorporated similar period deign elements, producing menus immensely popular with passengers. By far the most popular type of cover featured a destination. Exotic lands and landmarks were given wide exposure on many covers. Hawaiian favorites, as were the Great White Fleet Caribbean cruises in the mid-thirties, which pictured graceful dolphins and stately parrots.
Because of the specialized nature of cruise ships, menus were designed to be kept as souvenirs. Menus commemorating an equator crossing or holiday were quickly snatched up as keepsakes. The popularity of the menu, not only as a listing of food, but as a pleasant reminder of vacation memories, demonstrates the enduring nature of this category of menu design.
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Cover motifs for many of the dining car menus evoked the terrain the train traveled through: photographs of mountain ranges, deserts, rivers, or resorts along the rails were pleasant reminders of the view outside a club or dining car window. Regional distinctions were also popular. A series for the Great Northern Railroad of American Indians in tribal garb was an often-kept souvenir. Club car menus retained a sophisticated image, emphasizing the elegant cocktail lounge atmosphere where travelers could converse, smoke, play cards, and enjoy light snacks.
In the early part of the century, dining aboard ships reached new heights as luxury liners traveled the seas in record numbers. Limited to travelers who could afford first-class travel, dining at sea remained a formal and memorable experience. Menus for these shipboard dinners reflected this elegance until 1920s, when cruises on smaller American ship lines became more casual. While dining service still retained an aura of importance, more emphasis was given to informal activities and varied fare. Reflecting this, menu covers became more decorative, illustrating deck activities such as shuffleboard or sunning.