Titanic's Art

Does anyone know about art work that was on the Titanic, I know there is the painting by Norman Wilkinson, does anyone have any info on this painting or other works of art on the Titanic?
 
I remember reading in "Illustrated History" that the paintings on the base of the Grand Staricase were painted by a person in Belfast, but I don't know who.

All the best,

Nigel
 
Norman Wilkinson painted a painting that hung above the fireplace in the 1st class Smoking Room on Olympic, and he did a differnt painting to hang above Titanic's SR fireplace. I beleive Ken Marshall painted the painting in Titanic's Smoking room in the James Cameron Titanic movie.

Wilkinson also painted a very dramatic image of a sinking Titanic- featured in the 1912 book Titanic by Filson Young. Anyone know if the original painting stil exhists?

A Painting Wilkinson did of the Olympic is owned by The Peabody Essex Maritime Museum in Salem MA, but sadly they have had it in storage for years...


Here is a mystery, and I think Ken Marshall might have mentioned this possibility- At the top of each grand staircase landing (B deck,C deck,D deck), rather than there being a clock fixed in the wall, there was an intricate painting of some kind.

I believe this theory was introdiced in the Cameron film. Wasnt there some sort of painting atop the D deck staircase?

Thats all..

regards

Tarn Stephanos
 
There were paintings at these half landings of the staircase, and there are various photos where these are visible. There was a painting at the D deck landing, and also, I think various other paintings at the landing on each deck ... or perhaps these just announced the deck.

Daniel.
 
Tarn wrote: “I beleive Ken Marshall painted the painting in Titanic's Smoking room in the James Cameron Titanic movie.”

Ken was originally asked to do the painting, but because of his time constraints while wearing his many hats while working on the movie, someone else had to do it. The problem was that Cameron was unhappy with the painting as it turned out; so Ken agreed to go over portions of it and fix it. Ken got so carried away with putting in detail and reworking what the other artist had done that most of the painting that appeared in the movie was Ken’s work and not the work of the original artist.

By the way, a condition that was put on Cameron if he wanted to reproduce the “Plymouth Harbour” painting for the movie was that the copy painting had to be destroyed after production ended.

And then Tarn said: “Here is a mystery, and I think Ken Marshall might have mentioned this possibility- At the top of each grand staircase landing (B deck,C deck,D deck), rather than there being a clock fixed in the wall, there was an intricate painting of some kind.”

The oil paintings you mentioned were actually at the half landing of each staircase. They were vertical landscapes surrounded by a heavily carved oak moulding. The “half-landing” paintings and the moulding survive at the old Crown Berger paint factory in Northern England. A number of them were pictured in a past issue of the Commutator (from about 1989), but I don’t know the issue number off hand. At each deck level on the aft bulkhead, facing the staircase, were brass letters giving the name of the deck and perhaps a clock. Keep in mind that Cameron’s sets were not entirely accurate in this regard.

Daniel wrote: “There was a painting at the D deck landing….”

Do you mean at the half landing between “C” and “D” decks, or at the “D” Deck level (against the funnel hatch), facing the staircase? If you mean facing the staircase, Olympic had a tapestry here, and I believe this was probably a tapestry on Titanic as well and not a painting.

Eric Sauder
 
Eric,

I did mean the one facing the staircase, I know there were paintings at the half landings between C-D and D-E decks (as these can be seen in photos). I wasn't sure if Olympic/Titanic had a painting or tapestry facing the staircase, but I knew there was a "picture" there. Olympic (and probably Titanic) also had a tapestry above the fireplace in the starboard Regence style sitting room on C deck.

Daniel.
 
I have photos of these from the titanic
28281.jpg
 
They are photos of "New York Harbour" and look just like the pictures I posted on another thread on this board! And yes they are from Olympic's Smoking Room. Looks like I'll have to start putting writings on my pictures.
 
Yes, the painting still exists and is in the collection of the Southampton Maritime Museum. It is currently on display next top a copy of the Smoking Room painting from Titanic.

Eric Sauder
 
You can see a reproduction of Titanic's painting in Titanic Voices, page 194. Norman Wilkinson's son painted it from materials left by the artist. It makes a nice contrast with the The Approach to the New World, as it's a cheerful painting of the entrance to Plymouth at dawn.
 
Back
Top