An album of previously-unseen photographs of the Titanic has gone on display at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum in Northern Ireland, ArtDaily reports.
The exceptionally well-preserved family album belonged to John W. Kempster who was the director and Master of Ceremonies at Harland & Wolff, the shipbuilder that constructed the Titanic and its sister ship, the Olympic. The album contains 116 photographs, 13 of which are from the launch of the Titanic in May 1911, including images of the technical inspection of the vessel and the initial launch of the ship from the slipway.
The album also shows intimate private images of two young boys involved in a pillow fight, ladies taking part in an egg and spoon race on the ship’s deck, and a car boarding the ship while it was at port in New York.
William Blair, head of human history at National Museums Northern Ireland told ArtDaily “This album allows us unparalleled access to previously unseen images of the Titanic and Olympic…Family photographs from the Olympics’s maiden voyage also give us a fascinating insight into how the passengers spent their days at sea.”
Describing the exhibition, Blair added “The Ulster & Transport Museum holds a unique and extensive collection of artifacts relating to Titanic itself, and importantly, its wider context within the White Star Line fleet. We are delighted to have this album on display at the museum and consider it an important addition to our ‘TITANICa’ exhibition.”