Titanic Disaster Amusement Park Attraction, 1914Eldredge Print Peabody Essex Museum

Salem in History, 2006

Peabody Essex MuseumSalem in History 2006

Titanic Disaster Amuseument Park Attraction,, 1914Eldredge PrintBrooklynColored PosterBequest of F.B.C. BradleeM11210

H I S T O R I C A L C O N T E X T

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic, bound from Southampton, Great Britain to NewYork City, struck an iceberg inthe Atlantic Ocean and sank. About 1500 passengers and crew were lost in the disaster, which came as quite asurprise to all who thought that the Titanic was the “ship that could not sink.”

Following the Titanic disaster in 1912, the public was both horrified and fascinated by the event and the manyliterary, musical, and visual tributes inspired by the tragedy. This poster advertises an attraction that opened atLuna Park (Coney Island, NewYork) in the summer of 1914.The show featured automated miniature modelsof the Titanic and the rescue ship Carpathia that replayed key events of the shipwreck.

A R T H I S T O R I C A L C O N T E X T

At the turn of the 20th century, posters became cheap and easy ways to advertise to the greater public, and anew “poster aesthetic” emerged with the growth of the mass media and mass culture that characterizes 20thcentury America.

This vintage poster print follows the tradition of fine arts posters, using flat colors and shapes in semi-abstractdesigns to create a clean, modern image. It depicts the Titanic at its full dramatic moment: the large ship has hitthe iceberg head, and has started its downward descent into the sea as small lifeboats bob in the water andpassengers are caught mid-air as they abandon ship into the water below.

SAMPLE GUIDING QUESTIONS• Describe the simple shapes that make up this composition.What moment does this poster capture?Do you think that this image makes a successful pitch for the amusement?• Do you think that this poster shows an accurate view of the Titanic disaster? How can you tell?• Discuss the qualities of a successful advertisement. How does this poster measure up?• Where would this poster have been put up?What are the merits of studying it today?

SUGGESTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES• Compare this poster with another in this guide. Consider how the advertisements try to sway theviewer. Who would their intended audiences have been?

2003 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks: 3.2, USII.2, USII.10