Polar The Titanic Bear
- Thread starter Andrew Maheux
- Start date
Kyrila Scully
Member
You should have seen me when I walked into this autograph store in downtown WPB Sunday and lo! and behold! There was the actual "Swim Dress" and pink coat worn by Kate Winslet in the movie! It looked as waterlogged as it should have, and wow! My daughter is so mad that she went to see the Harlem Globetrotters (floor seats/backstage passes) instead of going with me. My whole purpose being downtown was to see the John Lennon art exhibit - I had no idea the dress was there. So it was a very emotional day for me as well. First the dress, then the exhibit, then I found Jack Ryerson's house. (See thread for photo.)
Kyrila
Kyrila
Kyrila Scully
Member
It was difficult to view some paintings, such as one entitled "The hole of my life," and another one that showed John contemplating the passing years of his life. My favorites were the sweet drawings he made for Sean to teach him about animals and how to read. They were delightfully whimsical. Yoko added color to them. It's still hard for me to think of him as gone. I'm hoping to get to visit Strawberry Fields on my way to Newport Beach, or at least on the return trip, as my train has a layover at Penn Station.
Getting back to the topic at hand, "Polar the Titanic Bear," the illustrations are fabulous and were done by Laurie McGaw, a specialist in Edwardian art. There are also personal family photographs and anecdotes in the book.
Kyrila
Getting back to the topic at hand, "Polar the Titanic Bear," the illustrations are fabulous and were done by Laurie McGaw, a specialist in Edwardian art. There are also personal family photographs and anecdotes in the book.
Kyrila
Anthony Cunningham
Member
I found this book a sheer delight. The pathos behind it is heartbreaking when one knows about the fate of the Spedden boy post 1912.
Dave Gittins
Member
I've just managed to get this via interlibrary loan.
Newer members of the forum may not know of it.
Anthony is not far out when he says it's "sheer delight". It's beautifully illustrated by Laurie McGaw in an appropriately old fashioned style. The painting of the old cash register alone is worth a peep. As well as the paintings, it has numerous photos of Douglas Spedden, his parents and Polar. There are other contemporary illustrations of Titanic and other ships. Ken Marschall helped get technical points right.
Observant readers will notice a drawing derived from two Francis Browne photos.
Even our resident curmudgeon would love it!
Newer members of the forum may not know of it.
Anthony is not far out when he says it's "sheer delight". It's beautifully illustrated by Laurie McGaw in an appropriately old fashioned style. The painting of the old cash register alone is worth a peep. As well as the paintings, it has numerous photos of Douglas Spedden, his parents and Polar. There are other contemporary illustrations of Titanic and other ships. Ken Marschall helped get technical points right.
Observant readers will notice a drawing derived from two Francis Browne photos.
Even our resident curmudgeon would love it!
Grant Woollacott
Member
When i spoke with Leighton Coleman he told me this.
"I am happy to report that Polar is safe and sound in a vault."
Grant Woollacott
"I am happy to report that Polar is safe and sound in a vault."
Grant Woollacott
Eric Paddon
Member
That's interesting information. I had always assumed that Polar would have been likely buried with Douglas. Perhaps the Speddens just found it too precious a reminder of their son to let go of.
Grant Woollacott
Member
Eric,
The story is very interesting. When Douglas died Daisy and Fredric left his bedroom "as is" like if he left something on the floor they left it there. There was a basket of stuffed toys in his room and Leighton told me Polar was all the way in the bottom of the basket buried by other toys and he (Leighton) was looking through the basket one day whilst in Douglass former bedroom and found the bear. Leighton would spend the summer at his Grandfathers home and with his brother they would explore the attic and carriage house and one day while looking through the carriage house he found a steamer trunk filled with Spedden items. Because after Daisy died the trunk was left to his Grandparents. It contained Daisys journals including her account of the Titanic, Many photos like the famous one of playing with the top and other things like that. Leighton put the trunk back in the carriage house expecting to return to it in the next few days. But it was not for several years when he was going off to collage and helped his Grandfather clean out a life time of items and the trunk was put in the garbage pile but he took it out at the perfect time. The whole story and more is on the great website:
http://polarthetitanicbear.com/
Grant
The story is very interesting. When Douglas died Daisy and Fredric left his bedroom "as is" like if he left something on the floor they left it there. There was a basket of stuffed toys in his room and Leighton told me Polar was all the way in the bottom of the basket buried by other toys and he (Leighton) was looking through the basket one day whilst in Douglass former bedroom and found the bear. Leighton would spend the summer at his Grandfathers home and with his brother they would explore the attic and carriage house and one day while looking through the carriage house he found a steamer trunk filled with Spedden items. Because after Daisy died the trunk was left to his Grandparents. It contained Daisys journals including her account of the Titanic, Many photos like the famous one of playing with the top and other things like that. Leighton put the trunk back in the carriage house expecting to return to it in the next few days. But it was not for several years when he was going off to collage and helped his Grandfather clean out a life time of items and the trunk was put in the garbage pile but he took it out at the perfect time. The whole story and more is on the great website:
http://polarthetitanicbear.com/
Grant
Eric Paddon
Member
That's interesting because I remember reading somewhere, that I thought was in the afterword to the book itself, that no one knew what had happened to Polar, but it sounds like Polar was found long before the book was rediscovered.
I have to admit that knowing about poor Douglas's fate makes reading the book much more poignant and sad.
I have to admit that knowing about poor Douglas's fate makes reading the book much more poignant and sad.
Grant Woollacott
Member
Yes it dose. before i knew of so many passengers fates i read the book and wanted to see if douglas was still alive this was in 1999 but as i did more research i found he died in 1915.
