Us Weekly sat down with Tomasina Ray (Director of Collections for RMS Titanic, Inc.) for an inside look at the artifacts that tell the timeless story about the Titanic and the passengers who were aboard the ship on that fateful night.
At Us Weekly, you learn a lot about a celebrity when you look inside their bag. What are some personal belongings you’ve found inside luggage or bags that belonged to people on the Titanic?
One of my favorites is this alligator skin bag that belonged to a Miss Marion Meanwell. She was a 63-year-old woman in third class traveling alone and it was her go-bag. It contained all her important documents for coming to the U.S. to start a new life. There were also personal things like a pitch pipe, which showed she had an interest in music. Little personal effects like these really demonstrate that she was a full person, not just a number.
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When you think about Titanic, you think about style and wardrobe. What are some wardrobe and jewelry artifacts that you’ve found?
We’ve recovered over 5,500 artifacts and we’ve able to find things like steward shirts, pajamas, and men’s white gloves they can wear to a formal event. Things that would have been important not only for dressing on the Titanic, but at their destination. Those are really cool, fragile things we’re fortunate to share with everyone.
There’s an expedition to the Titanic coming up in July, what artifacts will the team be looking for?
We want to use this imaging dive to discover and identify new artifacts like decorative details that show the refinement of the ship, as well as identify at-risk artifacts that can be recovered safely in future expeditions to be preserved for future generations.
How can people get that first-hand experience to the artifacts from the Titanic and what will they see?
The artifact exhibits are amazing, and we have seven—five touring and two permanent—but each one has a different set of artifacts. We have the 15-ton piece of the hull, which is amazing to look at, just the sheer scale of it. It’s a great experience to connect to history and make your own observations.
Plan Your Summer Adventure to TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition
Visit locations in Las Vegas, NV, Orlando, FL, and Columbus, OH.
Purchase tickets today at DISCOVERTITANIC.COM.
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