My "Titanic" Collection

I am a huge fan of the "Titanic" (the real deal, not the movie) and have been collecting memorabilia for about 20 years. I decided to dedicate my guest room as the area to house most of my collection. The "Titanic", as most people know, was a luxury liner that sank on April 14, 1912 just 3 days after it's official launch from Southampton, England.



This is one of the last photos taken of the "Titanic".

This is my guest room where I showcase most of my collection. I even bought a brass porthole mirror to fit into the theme. Most of my pieces have been purchased through private sellers or were given to me as gifts.

The above is a document sent to Father Brown from the White Star Line asking him to please refrain from talking about the tragedy during his lectures. Father Brown was a survivor of this dreadful journey and the White Star Lines was doing everything they could to hush all negative talk about the way things were handled.

This was another document sent to Father Brown welcoming him as a passenger on White Star Line's newest ship, the Titanic. They had enclosed his passes.

When my husband and I took a New England Cruise one of the ports we stopped in was Halifax, Nova Scotia, the final resting place for many of the passengers who drowned. There were several unmarked graves as many of the passengers had not been identified.

On that same tour we stopped at the "Titanic Maritime Museum" and took this photo of me lounging in a reproduction of the chairs used on the ship.

There were several patterns of china used on board but none were as distinguished as this cobalt blue with gold trim pattern. Apparently only 190 were ordered for the ship so it is assumed these may have been used in the 2 largest staterooms or possibly for VIP dinners.

This is the menu of the dinner served on what was to be the last night on the ship. You can see the date of April 14th at the top.

Ralph and I took a tour of the Titanic Museum in Orlando and snapped this picture of a reproduction of the now famous stairway. The gown in the back gives you some idea as to how large it is. It was designed with great attention to detail.

Here we are standing in front of the staircase. The photos are a little hazy as they are currently in a picture frame.

The Titanic has always fascinated me not only because of the tragedy but because it was the beginning of the breakdown of the classes.

Prior to April 14, 1912 there was a distinction among the classes and none more obvious than on the Titanic. The first class passengers had larger rooms and were constantly served by the staff. They also had first priority when it came to loading the lifeboats.

The third class passengers were crowded into rooms with other families and were never allowed above their deck. Some say that the hallways were barred during the sinking preventing them from getting to the deck where the lifeboats awaited.

Because of this terrible tragedy people were beginning to realize that one life was not worth more than another and many were appalled at the treatment of the lower class citizens during a time when all should have been seeking a common goal; to be rescued.

Memories and Inspiration

We all have memorable times in our lives and I would bet most of you have little items throughout your home that you cherish because it recalls a memory of a time that has passed. It could be a photo of your parents or maybe a dish you received from your grandmother. It might even be a drawing one of your kids made that's hung up on the fridge. We all have personal keepsakes of some kind to remind us of the good times in our life.

Many of my personal keepsakes are in the room where I do all my creating. I love to be surrounded by them and it gives me a smile each time I look at one of these very special pieces so I thought it might be fun to share some of them with you.

This is a purchase I made at the "Williraye Studio" when my husband and I went on vacation with our friends in 1992. We did a 10 day trip to see New York and Pennsylvania.

This is a caricature of my son, Justin, when we stayed at the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas when he was about 9 years old. He still has the hat he wore. I remember how excited they were on that day because Michael Jackson was there and they got to see him up close as he played one of the games in the arcade area of the hotel.

These are cutouts of my sisters and I (I am on the left) that an artist did for us when we went to a fancy Mexican restaurant in California, where I grew up. Even as young as I was I still remember thinking "this guy is fast", because he whipped all three of these out in about 20 minutes. Amazing!

This is my hand print taken in 1963. This was a popular trend when I was young.

My older son, Travis drew this tree with the birds in it when he was just 6 years old. I saved it because I was so amazed that he could draw so well at his age. To this day he still loves to draw and has a wonderful imagination.

Travis bought this doll for me about 8 years ago to go in my "Titanic" room. I am an avid collector of the original Titanic memorabilia and he thought this doll's costume represented what they might have worn in that era.

I have many more wonderful pieces around my home and in my studio room but I just wanted to share a few of them with you.

Next time you walk through your home take a moment and really look at some of the keepsakes you have and see if you can recall a memory of the past.