The most magnificent ship in history…
The most spectacular discovery…
An unforgettable experience

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

On a calm, April night in 1912, Titanic, the ship of dreams, struck an iceberg and slowly sank in the freezing water of the North Atlantic. On board were 2,228 passengers—titans of commerce, artists, leaders of countries, immigrant dreamers, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. More than 1,500 died. No one had believed it could happen.

The Titanic, the ship of dreams, was conceived in 1907 and met with disaster in 1912; a brief existence fraught with the drama of a Greek tragedy. It was lauded as the greatest ship in history. The story of Titanic has been told and retold, but never more poignantly and passionately than by the artifacts presented in this exhibition. Painstakingly recovered from the debris field surrounding the wreck and artfully conserved, these three-dimensional objects, more than words or images, represent the vessel and the 2,228 souls who journeyed with her into history.

These stories were revealed in Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, in Olewine Hall at Harsco Science Center June 4 through September 18, 2005, with more than 100 artifacts, including some never before seen. A porthole, a blanket, an alligator skin wallet, and garlands from the Grand Staircase—these and many other objects offer haunting, emotional connections to lives abruptly ended or forever altered.

“The exhibition has been custom designed for our space of 5,000 square feet in Olewine Hall,” Byron Quann, Whitaker Center President and CEO said. "This more intimate version successfully retains the compelling story and respectful presentation of the artifacts.”

RMS Titanic, Inc. was granted rights to the wreck of the RMS Titanic by a United States Federal Court order in 1994, reconfirmed again in 1996. The court award includes the exclusive rights to recover the artifacts from the wreck site. The Company also records the recoveries with documents and photographs of the Titanic in detail, and maintains a comprehensive archive. The Company was formed for the purpose of exploring the wreck of the Titanic and its surrounding ocean areas; obtaining oceanographic material and scientific data; and using the data and retrieved artifacts for historical verification, scientific education and public awareness. There have been seven research and recovery expeditions conducted in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition was proudly presented by M&T Bank and was produced by RMS Titanic, Inc. in association with Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.