Titanic Print Project
This week marks the centennial of the wreck of the Titanic. Our persistent media has probed all aspects of the tragedy: from the boat’s pervasive cultural relevance, to how Leonardo Dicaprio got kind of fat. Naturally, my only interest is in Titanic‘s onboard print shop, and finding pictures of it to share with you. Unfortunately, the Titanic‘s print shop has not been salvaged from the wreck, despite the best efforts (and bizarre Reverse-Little-Mermaid-Complex) of filmmaker James Cameron.
However, I did come across this interesting letterpress book project by Jamie Murphy: Albert, Ernest & The Titanic “tells the story of the Titanic’s ill-fated on board printers, Abraham ‘Albert’ Mishellany and Ernest Corbin as they travel on the ship’s doomed maiden voyage.”
two of the book’s linocut illustrations
The Titanic Letterpress blog documents the book’s creation. The handful of entries include a passage on “possible typefaces of the Titanic,” and a brief rumination about on-board printing that includes this photo of Ernest Corbin:
Part of the book was printed in “Titanic Coal Ink,” which the printer made from a lump of coal salvaged from the wreck.
This may be as close as we’ll ever get to seeing the actual presses of the Titanic, so head over to the project’s blog (women and children first).
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“Women and children first” made me giggle… even though the Titanic is no laughing matter.
~F
SO GOOD.