Titanic's Grand Staircase Photos

Hello all!
I am doing some specific research on a photograph that is said to be of Titanic's Grand Staircase taken from the A-Deck Landing and clearly shows the Honor and Glory carving and clock. Do we know of any photos that have been taken of Titanic's Staircase and clock that are certain to be Titanic and not just mis-labeled when it is really Olympic.
I have heard that the only difference was the animal carving just under the clock. Olympic was said to be a Rams head while Titanic was a Lions head.
If anyone can shed some light on the subject, I would be grateful. It is so hard to find the truth when you find the same pictures in multiple books and articles and none of them seem to have it straight.

Thank you for your time
Lee Everitt
 
No pictures are known to exist of the Titanic's staircase. That's not to say that they don't, just that none have ever surfaced publically. If you want, I can provide you with some clear scans of Olympic's clock carving -- contact me privately. If you want, you can post a small scan of your picture here on ET, and I'm sure several of us can help you out.

Daniel.

62325.jpg
 
Hi, all. My first post here. I'm looking for the height above the floor of the Grand Staircase railing and/or the height of the pedestals underneath the columns.

This is for a computer model I am making of the aft staircase. If I had that one dimension, I could figure out the sizes of numerous other things. The dome is done and I am just getting started on the stairs and room.

Thank you,

Mike Mc
 
Lee:

The book "Titanic Voices" brought forth the story that the clock on the Grand Staircase may NOT have been installed on the Titanic, in the rush to complete the ship by sailing day. However, there seems to be no proof of this, one way or the other.
 
I dont know how true this is but i read in a titanic book that Titanic only had honor and glory, that olympic had a carved box with a clock in it and that would be titanics clock right there, im going to try and take a picture of the two different photos and post it here later
 
Hi Matt,

It's probably the book 'Titanic and her sisters' which had that mistake in. Olympic and Titanic both had a lavish clock with carving on the forward grand staircase's boat deck landing; both ships also had a plainer clock on the after grand staircase's A-deck landing. One of the book's captions confused Olympic's after grand staircase with her forward grand staircase. (The book's captions should always be double-checked.) Olympic definately had a lavish clock carving on her forward staircase, as shown by photos from as late as 1935.


Best wishes,

Mark.
 
I am enclosing 3 photos the first one is of Olympics grandstaircase which as you can see isnt as grand as titanics which is below. This If true will put to rest the controversal statements if the clock was or wasnt installed. in the photos you can see the clock not a mirror with honor and glory

Olympics staircase is below


Titanic`s staircase is below


Edited to remove photos, due to copyright issues - JDT
 
well i guess thats something else that is wrong in the book that i need to note i have a list of over 32 different things that are wrong in the book so far
i just looked in the book and yea that is the rear staircase cause on the side wall theres a window where the door should be to the officer quarters
 
Hi Matt,

Yes, I'm afraid that (at least for the first edition) a number of errors, both minor and major, crept into the book -- especially for the picture captions. In all fairness, there are a lot of pictures, but they should really have been spotted. I understand that some were corrected in a later print run or edition. It's a good source as long as points can be double-checked.

Two other errors include Britannic's length, given as 903 feet overall; and Edward Wilding's alledged departure from Harland & Wolff in 1912. In fact, he didn't leave until many years later. Poor Wilding was giving evidence at one of the ongoing Hawke hearings just days after Titanic's loss; then he had to testify at Mersey's enquiry.

Best wishes,

Mark.
 
Yes im not sure which edition i have but mine was printed in or i should say published in 2004, but i noticed it list the titanic as being 882.6 feet long but i dont see why he couldnt put 882 1/2 cause 882.6 = 882 feet 6 inch which would be half. another picture from head on it list it as titanic, but if you look closely you can see the glare off the paint and it says olympic. i mean theres many mistakes in it
 
Photographs exist of Olympic's forward grand staircase; some so sharp as to make distinguishable a number of the joins between the upright boards set tightly within their frames as the wide, polished panels to left and right of the clock. The necessarily unique position of each of these boards of varying width amounts to a sort of fingerprint. From this, the forensics exists for identification of any similar photograph as of Olympic. Or not.
 
Frank: Your image - otherwise without sufficient detail for 'fingerprinting' - is perfect proof that *horizontal* 'lines' appearing among the numerous photographs are simply streaks of light across the highly-polished panelling; so due to the windowed gallery opposite and/or the 'flash' photography that was then, of course, used. Thanks. Don
 
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