“Titanic at 100: Myth and Memory,” A New Exhibition at South Street Seaport Museum

Titanic Memorial Lighthouse outside the museum

Prop life vest from "Titanic" (1953)

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's fateful voyage, the South Street Seaport Museum is presenting an exhibition that explores the history of the public’s fascination with the ship. The show, “Titanic at 100: Myth and Memory,” offers a peek at some rare artifacts from the ship and its passengers, as well as a display of memorabilia from other exhibitions and films: the 1953 movie, as well as the very first, “Saved From the Titanic,” starring Dorothy Gibson, a survivor who played herself, wearing the same dress she wore during her rescue. It was released less than a month after the sinking.

The exhibit also features the Marconi wireless system's  dispatches, including those that read “we have struck an iceberg” and “we are sinking.” Costumes from the latest retelling, a television mini-series by Julian Fellowes , are on display like ghostly figures at the entrance. 

The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the exhibit runs through May 16, 2012. The museum is located at 12 Fulton Street, between Front and Water Streets in Lower Manhattan (Tel. 212-748-8600).