Paintings

[Noelle K. Lantka]

I was just wondering if anyone knew if there were valuable works of art lost in the sinking. In the 1997 movie Rose had several Degas, Renoir and Picassos and I didn't know if that was just Cameron taking poetic license or if there were in fact paintings on the real ship.

Thanks!
Noelle

 

[Brian R Peterson]

Hi Noelle,

There were paintings on the Titanic, however they were not famous works of art as in the movie. Most of the paintings could be found in First Class public spaces like the landings of the Grand Staircase A-D Decks, in the First Class Reception Room etc.

Best Regards,

Brian

 

[Noelle K. Lantka]

Thanks Brian. That's what I had assumed so it's good to know that I was right!

By the way, I see in your profile you're from Pittsburg...I'm originally from PA too!

Thanks again!
Noelle

 

[Daniel Klistorner]

1st class passenger Björnström-Steffansson filed a claim after the sinking, amogn which items was an expensive painting. I can't seem to find the details about this on the site. I am sure some other passengers may have had works of art they were shipping, none however were all that famous, at least not by today's standards.

Aside from that, as part of its decor, Titanic had 6 paintings and two tapestries.

Daniel.

 

[Noelle K. Lantka]

Thanks Daniel...that's wonderful to know!
Do we know who the artists are of those six paintings?

Noelle

 

[Daniel Klistorner]

Noelle,

Well the 1st class Smoking Room painting was by Norman Wilkinson, as for the other 5, which were in the grand staircase areas, I honestly don't know. These were mainly of "Italian" themed landscapes and I don't know if these were quite Wilkinson's types of themes to paint.

Daniel.

 

[Noelle K. Lantka]

Great to know Daniel, thank you. I'm going to see if I can find some works of his. Paintings on Titanic are something I never really thought about until recently so I'd love to do a little investigating. Thanks for the head start!

Noelle

 

[Jeremy Lee]

Anyone knows if the paintings depicted in Cameron's movie were actually exactly the same, if not from here we can find out, or if the movie just 'anyhow' put in a painting on the GSC areas?

White Star did not buy paintings from some famous artists for their brand-new liner? I'm amazed! LOL

 

[Daniel Klistorner]

Jeremy,

I highly doubt that the movie used paintings that were exactly the same as on Titanic. It is not known the exact paintings that were used in the grand staircase areas. My assumptions on Titanic paintings are based from the paintings on the Olympic, where many ... not all paintings were "Italian" themed lansdscape paintings.

Sorry, I want to make a correction, there were 7 paintings all up. One in the Smoke Room, and the other 6 in the grand staircase areas. On Olympic, 4 of the 6 paintings in the GS area were "Italian" themed paintings.

Regards,

Daniel.

 

[Damon Hill]

Hi Daniel. You said there were two tapestries on Titanic. One was in the Reception room. Where was the other one?

 

[Daniel Klistorner]

Damon,

The other was in cabin C55, the Straus sitting room. All other sitting rooms had a mirror above the fireplace, except for this room, which had a tapestry instead.

Daniel.

 

[Matthew Newman]

Does anybody know of a website or a book that has close-up illustrations or reproductions of the paintings that were in the First Class public rooms? Cameron's movie showed them alot, but nothing really to where you could get a close up view of them. I'd love to find a replica of one and add it to my Titanic collection. Maybe the one from the D-Deck Staircase landing?

Matt.

 

[Dave Gittins]

Anatomy of the Titanic has photos on pages 129 and 149. They show paintings in the first class reading room and in a first class cabin. Whether they are in Titanic or Olympic I leave to the rivet counters, as the book is not famed for accuracy.

Titanic Voices has Rodney Wilkinson's reconstruction of his father's painting of the approach to Plymouth on page 194. The original hung in the first class smoking room.

 

[Stuart Lythgoe]

Hi Matthew
I was lucky enough to make a visit to Haltwhistle before its deconstruction and sale. The painting that was on the D Deck landing was a flower painting which, if I can dig it out, I may be able to post a copy of for you, if your interested. All four paintings from the Grand Staircase where installed at the Smith and Walton paintworks in 1935 by the local unemployed contingent according to a local newspaper. The long painting that was at the top of the Smith and Walton staircase was from the landing between D & E Deck and can be glimpsed in an image from the Museum of the City of New York, if I remember rightly. Anyway, if you are interested, drop me a mail and I'll try and post them over the next couple of days. Also, for any of you who are interested, the staircase that is at the White Swan Hotel in Alnwick was the staircase section that lead from c - D Deck that had the 21 light Candleabra at its base (which was taken by Wards and installed in their head office in Sheffield). A friend and I got permission from UFTM to do a reconstruction of the D Deck balustrade section on the famous archival from Harland and Wolff, if any of you would like to see that I should be able top post that aswell. Hope this helps guys.