Shadows of the Titanic
A blog dedicated to RMS Titanic, her passengers & crew, and the stories she still tells today. We will occasionally write our own articles & research, & we welcome Asks & Submissions as well! Enjoy our biography project where we are writing detailed profiles of each passenger and crew member!
This blog was created by Tanya, a History & Maritime Studies major, minor in Archaeology and pursuing a wreck-diving certification with her degree. She is a member of the Titanic Historical Society and dreams of a career in preserving underwater artifacts, specifically from Titanic, and opening her own museum & historical society in New York.
Jeni is co-owner of this blog. She is an Anthropology and History major, who does tours in the New York metro area and helps with research. She also focuses on fashions throughout history and social history.
Although this blog mainly focuses on Titanic, other things ship-related in history will be posted.
I am back from a short trip to Philadelphia to visit the Titanic Artifact Exhibition. The exhibition was amazing. Unfortunately it didn’t allow pictures, which is starting to annoy me the more I visit each one.
I’m going up to Springfield, MA in a short while to visit their museum at the Titanic Historical Society. And hopefully Halifax during my Spring break.
Hopefully I’ll get some pictures for you all then!
When the hotel told me they were right near the Titanic Museum, I assumed we were in the vicinity, maybe a block or two away. This is the view about 20 feet from my hotel room door.
I can’t describe what it felt like to see this. I cried, pretty much hysterically, as soon as I stepped off the bus. I can’t even remember how long I’ve wished to see even a fraction of what she looked like, in something other than a picture. This is the closest I believe I’ll ever get, and it was close enough. I felt part of a lifelong dream become a reality. She simply took my breath away every time I saw her. My roommate and I sat outside our room in our pajamas for hours at night(it was still 75 degrees at night in October there), just talking and staring, taking it all in. I cried when we left too. It was so unreal. Believe me when I say she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
An original newspaper dated May 3, 1912, with articles on the Titanic and some of her passengers. I cried when I received it today, and I will do my utmost to preserve it. If I ever get over the fear of opening it, I will and I’ll post what the articles say. The front has an article about President Taft making a speech for Major Archibald Butt, inside I know is an article about J.J. Astor, and I believe another article. Maybe not as great as the New York Times, but this is a beauty in and of itself.
Your opinions needed!
I’m currently doing research for an article I’ve been planning on writing for a while that I might develop into my thesis.
Part of that research requires me to do a little digging for opinions outside of my own on the topic. So I’d very much appreciate your input! Don’t worry, you can submit anon if you want, I won’t be using any direct quotes(unless you want me to & I have your permission). I’d just like to hear from you guys so I can get a better idea of where people stand on this topic today. If you could pass this around also I’d greatly appreciate it.
So here we go. You don’t have to answer all of these. And feel free to add anything else you’d like to say on the topic, such as information, facts, etc.
The topic: J Bruce Ismay
1. How do you feel about his actions the night of the sinking?
2. What is your impression of his character in general?
3. Would you apply the same opinion towards someone who did what he did in today’s society?
4. What do you think you would have done in his position?
5. Was society too harsh on him?
6. Do you think films portray Ismay accurately?
7. Have you had any further study on Ismay(such as inquiry readings, biographies, witness accounts, etc)?
THANK YOU!
(Source: 1912rmstitanic)
Heyy all my lovely Titanic enthusiasts! I’ve been MIA lately due mostly to work & school, but thank you for sticking around!
I WILL be writing some stuff soon! I just recently renewed my membership with the Titanic Historical Society so I will also be posting some articles from their quarterly Commutator magazine.
I’m also going on another Titanic tour August 26th which I’m extremely excited for, so there will be plenty of pictures and information posted about that!
For now - have a great day! :)
Shadow of the Titanic book review by Tanya M. Mignone
Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived by author & journalist Andrew Wilson. Its one of many in a mass amount of new and reprinted books published for the 100 year anniversary of Titanic’s sinking, however this book takes a slightly different turn than most others we’ve seen before. Most of us have heard the name Titanic, we know the stories of what happened that fateful night, we’ve seen the movies and heard the facts. But the always unanswered question: “What happened to the survivors after Titanic?”, finally has its answer now.
Wilson takes their stories beyond that fateful night, using years of archived research, survivor accounts, interviews with family members, friends, and a handful of survivors themselves, to beautifully weave together the lives of Titanic’s survivors after her sinking. He also provides a treasure of information as to their lives before the Titanic (and of course references to their accounts during the sinking) as well. While some survivors used the Titanic as their express ticket to the limelight, some found love afterwards and used the Titanic experience as their motivation for strength and appreciation for life. Others shunned the memories, had their reputations destroyed, spent their lives in a mental institution, committed suicide later on, or spent the rest of their lives grieving and never able to forget the disaster of the century, living in its shadow.
Wilson tells all these stories in ways we’ve never heard them. Each story is gripping in its own way, and the connection to these people is felt much deeper than ever before. Wilson delves into the questioning of their morality and the decisions made that night that for some, would haunt them forever. Wilson also psychologically analyzes some of their behavior before and after the sinking, as we believe today a lot of them suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While for the most part these psychoanalyses hit it spot on, there are a handful that start out right but at points might stretch the analysis a little too far in storytelling.
The only disappointment with the book, was the lack of story concerning the crew. While he provided information on some of the female crew, a great deal on the first class passengers, a good amount from second class and a here and there reference to a third class, there was hardly any reference to any of the male crew and their lives afterwards.
That being my only real concern with the book, I can safely say this book is an amazing and must have read for anyone interested in the Titanic and her passengers. Wilson masterfully tells their stories. Readers will also appreciate occasional references to the surviving family members of passengers and how the ordeal affected and still affects their lives today. Shadow of the Titanic is a perfect centennial gift to the memory of Titanic and all those who sailed on her.
(Source: 1912rmstitanic)
