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Review: Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Discovery Times Square Exposition
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Dock workers admire the enormous Titanic
For limited time: ends: Dec. 31, 2009
A slideshow featuring Titanic photos both historic and from the Exhibition follow the article.
The Titanic was supposed to have arrived in New York 97 years ago this past April. Now, the Discovery Times Square Exposition has the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. It's an amazing recreation of the doomed ship's interior, featuring the biggest collection of Titanic artifacts. A ladies hairbrush, a man's razorblade - over 5,500 hauntingly personal items have been lovingly restored.
Visitors can assume the identity of a real Titanic passenger. They can experience everything their passenger encountered, and find out whether or not that person survived. After entering the exhibition, each visitor is given a copy of a Titanic boarding pass, which lists the name of their passenger, their country of origin, their reason for sailing to America, and which class they traveled in.
All the galleries not only have the artifacts, but also interesting facts about the ship. There are emotional quotes from the passengers, crew, and shipbuilders. They comment on the magnificent ship, the horror of the collision, the relief of being rescued.
The first gallery is made to resemble the dock and entrance ramp. There are weather–beaten steamer trunks lined up by the ramp, ready to be loaded. There are large photos on the walls of the architects bent over intricate blueprints. Other photos show the construction workers building the ship. The blueprints themselves are also on display.
Among the artifacts, there are stamps, postcards, and trolley tickets. There's a wrapper from a Gillette Safety Razor. There's a brass spittoon and ladies' hairbrushes. There are au gratin dishes in pristine condition, preserved by the wooden cabinet they had been stored in. There's a mantel clock. A shattered compass bowl. Dozens of jars that had cherry flavored toothpaste (a complimentary gift to the wealthy passengers). There are recreations and photos of the Titanic's bedrooms, dining areas, and the hallways.
The Grand Staircase has also been carefully recreated. The elaborate staircase, which was actually two staircases that combined into one, was only used by the first class travelers. It features oak paneling, bronze cherubs, candelabras and paintings.
The exhibit also emphasizes the class differences of that era. In first class, members of high society enjoyed luxurious private cabins, complete with running water. They used Turkish baths, a gym, a swimming pool and elegant dining rooms. They dined on caviar and lamb with mint sauce. A first class ticket cost about $2,500 ($40,000 today). Such luminaries as the industrialists J.J. Astor the 4th and Benjamin Guggenheim traveled among them.
The second class section was nearly as grand as the first. They had their own library and fancy dining room. Their menus were similar to the first class'. A teacher, a chauffeur, and a member of the clergy traveled in second.
However, the third class, also known as steerage, was completely different. There were four people crammed into each little cabin. They slept in tiny bunkbeds, albeit with comfortable mattresses. The ship's pipes were right over their heads. Many were amazed by their bathrooms, having never used indoor plumbing before. They ate vegetable soup in a cafeteria. The food was simple but still good quality. Steerage passengers were kept separate from the others. A ticket cost about $40 ($770 today). Steerage contained poverty-stricken Europeans who hoped to start a new life in America.
The exhibit then leads visitors down a twisting flight of stairs into the "Boiler Room." Here, the galleries are dimly lit. The rhythmic thumping of the Titanic's engines can be heard. There's even a real miniature iceberg that visitors can touch.
On April 18, 1912, the survivors arrived in New York on board the Carpathia. They were aided by Mayor William Gaynor, who opened a fund for them. Among the contributors to the fund were J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. Transportation, clothes, food, and lodging were also provided by other New Yorkers.
The exhibit also details the painstaking effort to recover the artifacts. A video playing on several TVs shows the dive to the wreckage and the equipment used to bring the items to the surface again.
At the very end, each visitor can read the list of the survivors' names and see if their passenger lived. The exhibition leads into the Discovery Museum's gift shop and cafe.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is owned by R.M.S. Titanic, Inc. The company was created to research, recover, and preserve the Titanic artifacts. The exhibition is dedicated to Millvina Dean, who was the last living Titanic survivor. The youngest person on board, she was only nine weeks old when the Titanic sank. She died at 97 on May 31, 2009.
The Discovery Times Square Exposition is located in Times Square at 226 West 44th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues. It's open seven days a week, 10 am to 10 pm. Tickets are $17.50 - $24.50 (kids four and under are free) and can be purchased online, or call: 866.987.9692. Audio guides are also available at the box office and online for this exhibit. The exhibition is for a limited time only. It ends Dec. 31, 2009.
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