#Titanic The Artifact Exhibition

[markashtonlund]

In Character

[lifewithchronicpain]

I went to see the Titanic exhibit that’s going on now with my mom. It was really fascinating they had artifacts and replicas of parts of the ship. To think those objects were on the sea floor for decades before being brought up. Here’s a taste of what we saw:

I really loved these 3 exhibits with the accompanying photo on the sea floor. I also really loved the replica rooms too, the stairway was fantastic.

[its-rmstitanic]

Nightgown owned by First Class passenger Margaret Welles Baron Swift. Margaret boarded the Titanic at Southampton with her friends Dr Alice Leader (with whom she shared cabin D-17), and Mr and Mrs Frederick Kenyon. After the ship struck the iceberg, she escaped wearing this nightgown; all three ladies survived, but, sadly, Mr Kenyon went down with the ship.

[starlene]

Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition thoughts:

Let me start by saying that I have some... let's say, ethical qualms about the whole artifact exhibition thing. Obviously, they're not severe enough to prevent me from seeing the touring exhibition (and to be clear, I have seen different iterations of it in four different countries now.) But even so – I just don't think it's super cool that these historical artifacts are owned by a company who thinks Las Vegas is a proper permanent home for them. There is something very sideshow-esque about the whole thing. While it's cool that some of the artifacts tour the world for many people to see, if I got to decide, their permanent home would be in a well-established museum in a location that figures in the story of the RMS Titanic somehow. But I don't get to decide that, so whatever, I guess!

Mostly, the exhibition is both respectful and informative, but there are some little problems. The most notable one is that they haven't updated all their info plaques and their audio guide, so there are issues like two plaques right next to each other having contradictory info (say, how much the tickets cost in today's money.)

I also don't think it's, hmm, super great how you walk by the names of everybody that died – straight into a souvenir shop stand of teddy bears dressed as captains. I mean, sure, they need to make their money somehow, and I did buy a bunch of postcards and stuff myself... but apart from a handful of replica newspapers, cups and such, the shop really has the most tasteless selection of Titanic merch known to man. The only things missing are the "Titanic Swim Team 1912" shirts and the ice cube trays.

To make it clear: I'm not saying you're a horrible person if you wear a Titanic Swim Team tee or whatever (tbh, I would buy a Vasa Swim Team 1628 one in a heartbeat myself) – these days, the sinking of the Titanic is a part of popular culture just as much as it's a historical event, so it's just natural there are joke-y products around. I just think the contrast of a memorial wall for the actual victims and the captain teddies is rather gruesome.

Also, speaking of Titanic in popular culture and the public consciousness, I don't think it's super great how the exhibition strengthens certain Titanic myths that don't really have much truth to them, or are less black-and-white than the usual story goes.

They make a big deal of the Titanic (and the Titanic alone) being "unsinkable", to the point of lifting Captain Smith's "modern shipbuilding" quote¹ out of context, which of course makes guests assume he said that about the Titanic specifically. They also claim Captain Smith was about to retire after the Titanic's maiden voyage, though there isn't really any evidence to prove that. And of course, they keep mentioning how the Titanic was the largest ship ever built – which is technically true, sure, but I think it's worth mentioning that in practice, she and the Olympic were twin sisters.

I even spotted a new piece of nonsense in the exhibition that I've never heard before: they claim that Thomas Andrews was not supposed to be on the maiden voyage at all, but he had to travel in place of Lord Pirrie when he fell ill. I believe Thomas Andrews was always meant to lead the guarantee group, like he had done on previous maiden voyages, and I have never heard anything to the contrary before. But what do I know?

Props to the exhibition for not demonising J. Bruce Ismay, though! On the contrary, they mention he helped passengers board the lifeboats before leaving on the last lifeboat to be properly launched.

Anyway!! I think I have been negative enough here. I may have a lot of nitpicks, but even so, as a whole, I think the exhibition is a good introduction to the story of the Titanic, and it's interesting and touching to nerds like me, too. I like the interactive parts such as the changing soundscapes. I feel the sound design has gotten better since the last time I saw the exhibition, I especially enjoyed the soundscape near the 3rd class cabin reproduction that demostrated how you could hear the engines all the time in those cabins. The touch the iceberg thing is good and very sobering too, it really helps you to understand how hypothermia was only a matter of minutes on a night as cold as April 15th, 1912.

And of course, there are the artifacts themselves! I assume they keep most of the flashier ones in Vegas, but there were some good ones. My favourite was a golden chain with three lucky charms: a clover, a star, and a lucky pig. The lucky pig obviously didn't make it, but I do wish its owner did. I also liked the Extra Moist Cherry Toothpaste jar just because that sounds so silly. There were reproductions of that in the souvenir shop, but I couldn't justify buying one – maybe I would have if it came with some of that moist paste, but nope!

ETA: Something I found interesting was that pretty much every single artifact that was a part of the ship's decor, from dishes to lamp holders, was stamped with the White Star Line logo, even the fancy first class tableware. Was that all about boosting their brand recognition, or were they that worried about things being stolen? Or did they want to show off that everything was custom-made just for them, no off-the-shelf items from any generic manufacturer? Maybe it was a little bit of each?

I also think it's interesting to think about the weird journey the artifacts have made. Someone put them in their luggage to cross the Atlantic, they sunk along with the ship and spent about 80 years in the darkness... and then someone else came along with an underwater robot that has little hands and picked them up. The people who originally owned them could never have imagined the journey their everyday items would go on – or, if they briefly saw a vision of their trousers ending up in a glass case in a Swedish mall with some Finnish nerd staring at them, they probably thought they're just about to lose their mind.

All in all, Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition in Täby, Sweden, was a thought-provoking experience for me in many ways. I'm glad I got the chance to go.

¹ "I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that." (Said by Smith after the RMS Adriatic's maiden voyage in 1907)

[rational-creatureblog]

The Titanic Artefact exhibition is coming to Melbourne. I don't know if it will come to Sydney. I really want to go.

[bignaz8]

The violin shown in the image is famously associated with Wallace Hartley, the bandleader of the Titanic’s orchestra. Here are some fascinating facts about this violin and its significance:

1. Wallace Hartley’s Violin:

• This violin was owned and played by Wallace Hartley, who led the Titanic’s band during its final moments. The band famously continued playing music to calm passengers as the ship sank.

2. Historical Significance:

• The violin became a symbol of courage and devotion to duty, as Hartley and his bandmates chose to play music rather than save themselves, ultimately perishing in the disaster.

3. Engraving:

• The violin bears the initials “W.H.H.” (Wallace Henry Hartley). It was a gift from his fiancée, Maria Robinson, as a token of their love.

4. Survival and Recovery:

• The violin was recovered from Hartley’s body, found in a leather case strapped to him. It was later returned to Maria Robinson, who preserved it as a memento of their love.

5. Rediscovery:

• The violin was rediscovered in 2006 and underwent extensive authentication processes to confirm its provenance, including forensic testing.

6. Auction Record:

• In 2013, the violin was auctioned for £1.7 million ($2.1 million), making it one of the most expensive Titanic artifacts ever sold.

7. Museum Display:

• Before being sold, the violin was displayed at several Titanic-related exhibitions and museums, drawing significant public attention.

8. Legacy:

• The violin is not only a piece of Titanic history but also a poignant reminder of the human stories behind the tragedy.

This violin continues to inspire awe and admiration, symbolizing sacrifice, love, and the enduring legacy of the Titanic’s band.

[memories-of-ancients]

I saw the Titanic exhibition at the Carnegie Science Center today and they had all kinds of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic on display but unfortunately they didn't have that Logitech Xbox controller. :(

[palfriendpatine66]

Guys (gender neutral). Guys.

I’m so sorry for the person I’m about to become after visiting the titanic artifacts exhibit

[yeti-zeus]

went to the titanic artifact exhibition in my titanic shirt with captain edward smith on it and a pearl necklace and the doorman was so excited someone dressed up he dug through all the boarding passes they hand out in order to find me john jacob aster so I could be the richest man on the boat

[chameli]

I revisited the Titanic museum a few weeks ago. When you buy your ticket, they give you a boarding pass with a real passenger’s information on it. At the end of the exhibit, you find out if you survived or not. This time, I got Juliette Lafargue/LaRoche (the first time I had Dorothy Gibson). Her story was extremely tragic, though she and her two girls were rescued. There were tons of real artifacts salvaged from the wreck on display in great condition. There was also a giant replica of the iceberg (made from real ice) that I was able to keep my hand on for 9 seconds before I couldn’t take it anymore. I can’t imagine what the actual passengers went through. It was definitely a haunting and emotional experience. The best part was that my sister & I dressed up and got a professional picture taken on the grand staircase! It was so beautiful 🤍

[dalechevy32004]

Went to the TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition in Boston yesterday. Loved it...even though I knew the history...I still learned things about the Titanic, the people, and the time in history.

Good Sunday Morning!☕🌞☕

It's a beautiful new day… Start it with some quiet time for yourself if you can… Appreciate this opportunity and feel the good energy around you.

Wishing everyone a good day!💝💝💝 xoxo — feeling blessed.

[markashtonlund]

The Staircase

The Grand Staircase – Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition As 2024 begins to wind down, I could not be prouder of the film festival results for First Launch. Earlier this year the sequel to First Signal began its journey through the festival market at the script stage. Over the last two weeks, First Launch has been accepted into The Macoproject Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival. This brings…

[kindestegg]

Platinum Bones Week 2023 - 01/04 - Day 2 : Throne

Here we go onto day 2! I picked "throne" as the prompt this time, and I'm quite proud of this one, hehe.

The premise is Collector in this future has repurposed the archives into a sort of educational history review of all the things the B.I didn't know but really should have learned! And one of the items now put on display is a throne carved by the trappers as an offering to their "huntsman".

Collector stared at the throne with a silent defiance, anxiously twirling one of his fluffy pigtails between his fingers.

It was too big, and cold looking, and although the symbol atop of it looked cool to him, it was all too hostile to him, knowing this was Titan Trapper work.

"This isn't for me." Collector grumbled quietly.

But an exhibit was an exhibit, and he could not deny the citizens of the Boiling Isles knowing their history. All of it. He had shown the other artifacts from the Isles' past before. This should be no exception.

He sighed and swiped his finger in the air, lifting the throne up into a platform, and then snapped his fingers to summon a glass case around it. Another twirl of his fingers and a plaque appeared, describing what the item was, its origin and date.

They put their hands on their hips and continued to stare at it. It wasn't for them but... why did they feel strangely compelled to try the seat out? For just a second wonder what it would have been like to have the trappers bowing at their feet?

"Collector!" King's voice calling to him made him jump a bit, his pigtails poofing up.

"Oh, hey, King! You wanna come in?" Collector offered, knowing King had been calling from outside the room, but he expected the answer already.

"Maybe another day." King was still outside, hesitant. "Can you come over here?"

Collector sighed and walked out the titan war memorial room, to meet with King anxiously whipping his tail and grabbing his paws and looking around the hall.

"What's up?" Collector leaned on the wall, arms crossed.

"I was wondering if you still had that titan bound songbook..." King played with his claws shyly. "I know I can't tell what it says very well, but maybe you could help me?"

"Oh!" Collector perked up hearing that. "Yeah, yeah!"

He flicked a finger and an old book bound with matted fur and claws and soft scales for pages came to King's paws, heavy and worn, but intact, mostly.

"Sweet, thanks!" King wagged his tail as he looked at it, already opening and staring at the pages. "Are you OK to go now, or are you busy?"

Collector paused and his eyes shifted to the room behind him. The throne wouldn't leave his mind. Why wouldn't it leave his mind?

"I'd rather wait a bit more, I'm completing some new additions to the exhibit." Collector gave a grin.

King lowered his head and hummed a bit, observing Collector's strange behavior.

"Well, I'm gonna be hanging out at Wilderness Square, we can meet up there later!" He decided to leave it alone though, and started on his way.

"O-okay! See you there!" Collector waved, until he saw King disappear through the hallways.

He walked back into the room and let out a deep sigh, then looked at the throne again.

With a snap of his fingers the entire platform, glass and plaque were gone, and the throne was back to the way it had been in its first arrival.

He stepped towards it, and eventually, lifted himself up to sit on it. He shivered. As expected, it was cold stone, nothing comfortable about it, and although he could change sizes to fit it, right now in his usual adapted form, it was way too big for him, his arms barely reaching the actual arm rests, the back of it extending far too high.

He closed his eyes and allowed his height to adapt, growing longer, and his carefully put together modern outfit disappeared into more regal robes.

The lights in the room dimmed at his mental command, and he opened his bright red eyes.

He imagined the many titan trappers that would be in front of him, worshiping him, hands and faces touching down on the ground in devotion, not daring to look up.

He grinned, and readied a speech:

"You lowly mortal forms, writhing beneath me, calling for my blessing. Do you even know how little you mean to me?" He growled.

"You are nothing. You are filth. In your search for power and divinity you have done nothing but taint this earth and dishonor my name. Others may have surely thanked you for your sacrifice, but of them all I remain, for my love has saved me. You of course could never understand, warring scum that you are, spilling divine blood of the kindest creatures for your own selfish wishes." He went on.

"Well, no more." Their hands gripped the sides of the throne. "For now I distribute justice and rip apart your bones, razing the earth to feed the felled titans with your blood, eye for an eye."

The visions in his mind, illusions that they were, exploded into screams of despair as they erupted into mounds of burning flesh.

They sat back, satisfied, watching the spectacle they had created.

As they disappeared, Collector was left with nothing but the dark and silence of the room.

They sighed, putting a hand on their chin and leaning sadly. In the real world, King had begged them to not actually kill the trappers, only give them a good scare, as they ransacked and took as much as they could to form the exhibits they now held on titans, the war, and their history.

He shrunk down, clothes adjusting back into his comfortable combo of a long jacket, t shirt and baggy jeans. He hugged himself, remembering he was alone, the titans gone, and he couldn't even avenge them properly.

All that was left was to remember them was these memorials, these exhibits, making the Archives into something finally useful, educational, for preservation.

But that wouldn't bring them back, but then again, killing the trappers wouldn't either. Collector and King were still chasing them out from hurting anyone whenever possible, and helping those questioning their beliefs.

Collector wiped a tear. Moping around wasn't doing them any good either, they ought to pull themself back up and go meet King.

They got off the throne and snapped their fingers, putting all the exhibit back into place again, and left.

.......

It was under a quiet palistrom tree at the park aptly named Wilderness Square that Collector found King resting, reading the book with a furrowed brow as if he could understand it.

The park had been created as a new area of greenery for all to enjoy, a celebration of wild magic and a departure of the old ways of controlled covens. Now, it made all creatures who visited it feel at home.

"King?" Collector called, walking up to him and leaning over with a smile.

"Oh! Hey, you took a bit. I've just been trying to read the book, er, emphasis on trying." King smiled sheepishly.

"Well let's take a look." Collector sat down next to him, and stretched their neck to get a better look at the pages, those soft cast off scales of ancient creatures that had had ink dipped feathers write titan language on them.

"This symbol..." Collector tried to reach an arm over King's, having to stretch it quite a bit.

"Do you want to sit on my lap?" King offered nonchalantly.

"What?!" The offer definitely took Collector by surprise.

"Come on, you're stretching to get a good look, it's just more convenient." King reasoned.

"I..." Collector was trying to hide their embarrassment, puffing their cheeks. "I can change my size you know!"

"Yeah, but I like this better." King gave a mischievous grin at them. "Now I'm the one getting to grab you around."

"Wow." Collector swallowed, still clearly flustered. "You waste no time getting revenge, huh?"

King grinned wider and grabbed Collector by the sides, growling playfully. "Collectors and titans, fighting again! Who could have seen this coming?"

Collector gave a squeal and giggled nervously in surprise, and before they knew, they had been whisked up and sat comfortably in King's lap. In protest, they bit the titan's arm, growling back.

"Hahah, alright, settle down. Look." King adjusted the book to now rest in front of both of them, now being seen clearly in both their fields of vision. "That's better now, right?"

"Huh. Yeah actually." Collector had to admit, this was more convenient.

They could see both current pages the book was open at.

"Alright... a different one. I think I can only tell apart like three symbols. We need a less complicated one." Collector told King.

He obliged and turned the pages.

"This... I know this one, I think." Collector pointed.

King hummed. "That looks a little like the symbol on my old collar."

He then reached out and pointed to a circular symbol with a dot inside. "This one."

"Ah, that makes the sound sol, it's also the titan symbol for sun, light, gold, and titans themselves." Collector explained.

"That's a lot of really different meanings, though, how do you know which one it is?" King asked, scratching the back of his skull.

"You have to look at the context. This one seems to be a song about the morning light." Collector traced the symbols over the pages with their finger.

They had to admit they were glad they were doing this with King. That old throne had been cold, but King was warm and soft and reminded them of the present and the bright future they had.

There was nothing better than being here, than knowing that despite all the hurt and everything that had tried to come between them, they were safe and happy together. This was Collector's real throne. Where he fit and where he belonged.

"And you knew this one?" King asked.

"A little. From the time I got to spend with them, I learned some of the songs, but I was always sloppy with getting the individual words and symbols right. They said it was okay though." Collector responded, leaning back into King's stomach.

"And I believed them." They sulked and turned slightly while sat on his lap, burying their face in his fluffy fur. "I thought I had all the time in the world to learn. Can't ask any of them now about it, though."

King fell quiet, also looking sadly off to the side.

"Hey." He finally spoke. "My aunt's a historian, you know. I'm sure maybe with your knowledge, and hers combined, and her connections in history, you could start on figuring out this language for good."

Collector's eyes lit up, and they turned to face King. "Really? We could bring back Titan language!"

"We could! That would be a fun exhibit we could make together, right?" King grabbed onto Collector's hands and held them happily.

"Yeah." Collector gave a bright smile.

They then turned to the book again. "So, about the song. I know what it is, and I sort of remember the melody, but I don't really remember the individual bits. Just like... it as a whole song."

King pat their head. "That's okay, I just wanna hear it."

Collector felt warm hearing that, and got comfortable in King's lap again, facing the book. They began to sing, slowly tapping back into their memory of singing with the titan pack that had taken them in once.

King stayed quiet while listening the whole time, Collector couldn't really tell what the titan was feeling, he wasn't even looking.

He stopped singing. "That's it, I think. It's a pretty simple song, it was for kids, y'know, like a good morning song."

"It's beautiful. Thank you." King told him, though he sounded very melancholic.

He sighed and put a paw up to his jaw, looking away and getting lost in thought.

Collector couldn't say he wasn't also made sentimental, having felt a knot on his throat while singing. He wasn't even sure if he was fully remembering or pronouncing it right.

But something about sharing that with King had felt healing, like he'd been holding in this precious knowledge all these years and now he got to share it.

He listened as King attempt to repeat the song now, and laid back into his chest, breathing softly.

"Hey, it's not a lullaby. It's a good morning song." King interrupted his singing to tug on his best friend. "Don't fall asleep."

"Sorry, it's just nice. You were getting it right, though." Collector nuzzled, not really bothering to seem any more awake.

King smiled to himself and began to sing again, letting his power give the song strength, golden light all around them.

Collector hummed happily. Yes, this was way better than any cold old throne.

[soniabigcheese]

Today I learned that the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas has closed and they've already dismantled the volcano feature that was actually one of the free shows on the Strip.

Which is a shame, as that was what brought the tourists in. But as I said in a previous post, everything was starting to look tired, over 20 years ago.

The Luxor removed and sold off all of the Egyptian artifacts which was what I wanted to see and replaced it with a Titanic exhibit instead.

The Excalibur lacked any decent free stuff, instead you had to pre-book for the tournament and feast - when it was on - and they had one massive bar where the staff could insult you

New York New York Hotel just had a very small food hall, consisting of maybe four or five food stalls and nothing else

Yes, they looked impressive with a different theme, but once inside, very disappointing

Glad I'm not going back. Been there done that, stunning and shiny the first time, five years later and it looked all faded and tired

And it looks as if the new hotels that are being built, will all be faceless monoliths.

I wonder if they will/or have broken that promise that they wouldn't build on some land belonging to the late Howard Hughes

[pop-six-squish]

SO THE TITANIC EXHIBITION WAS INCREDIBLE, WITH ARTIFACTS RETRIEVED FROM THE WRECK??! INCLUDING A PIECE OF THE HULL, HELLO ??

The Titanic artifact exhibition, usually in Vegas went to Paris for two months and I couldn't be happier about it !!

They even had a in memoriam of P. H. Nargeolet, Mr Titanic, the one who went in so many diving expeditions to retrieve all this (with a great controvery due to the grave robbing arguments, etc.)

[tipsywench]

Went to a Titanic artifact exhibit yesterday and felt really bad for laughing at this

Also, did not realize they have saved a titanic toilet: