La Cité de la Mer, in Cherbourg, is hosting a new exhibition for 2 years Forgotten Objects and Recovered Stories , which complements its permanent exhibit Titanic, Return to Cherbourg.
This new exhibition features 43 items that were found around the wreck. Some are witnesses to the lifestyles of the time: jewelry, postcards, pouches, instruments… Others contained clues that, following meticulous investigations, allowed the story to which they were connected to be rediscovered. Laundry stamps, a transport receipt for a canary cage, an inscription engraved on a medallion… discover how simple clues helped the teams of La Cité de la Mer and the company RMS Titanic Inc to connect them to their owners.
Portrait of men and women with tragic destinies
You can, for example, admire the pieces of a clarinet that belonged to Howard Irwin. They were in his trunk which traveled on the Titanic alongside the friend with whom he was traveling. Howard was indeed fortunate to miss the ship’s departure at Cherbourg; he was not on board! Thus, several faces and several stories emerge thanks to simple objects found at more than 3,000 meters deep. For the passengers who weren’t lucky enough to be among the survivors, these objects help remember them. The exhibition also highlights instruments used by the staff on board: chronometers, barometers, etc., as well as precious elements of the ship’s decor. « Behind the myth of the world’s largest liner, these objects prompt us to reflect on our societies today and our own human nature. Isn’t it a life lesson because, in the face of oceanic forces, we remain vulnerable and submersible human beings. Like a bottle cast into the sea, La Cité de la Mer continues to keep alive, with humanity, the memory of those who perished » explains Bernard Cauvin, Founding President of La Cité de la Mer in Cherbourg.
Cherbourg and the Titanic
Since 2015, visitors passing through the Cité de la Mer can discover the permanent exhibition dedicated to the British ship, as well as occasional exhibitions that regularly enrich it. The mythical liner had stopped in the Normandy town before beginning its Atlantic crossing, welcoming on board French passengers or those who had visited France. Thus it was only natural for the company RMS Titanic Inc to establish this partnership with the Cité de la Mer. Still today, 111 years after the most famous of all shipwrecks, research continues around the objects found near the wreck. « For over 30 years, the company RMS Titanic, Inc has been committed to preserving the heritage of the Titanic and its passengers. It required no fewer than 8 expeditions to recover approximately 5,500 artifacts. Displaying these personal items allows for a more human and intimate connection of the liner’s history with the general public » states Jessica Sanders, President of the company RMS Titanic Inc.
