A Night to Remember

At the time the RMS Titanic was launched into the harbor at Belfast, Ireland, the ship was the largest movable object ever created. An elegant colossus, she was a testament to the technological advances surging forward during the early Edwardian period and to the prowess and mastery that humankind had achieved. She was one of a trio of luxury liners (also including the RMS Olympic and the RMS Britannic) built for the White Star Line by Harland & Wolff. The opportunity to sail on the Titanic, especially in first-class accommodations, communicated status; a trip on a transatlantic ocean liner, for wealthy westerners, was not simply a means of being conveyed across the ocean but an opportunity to take part in a pleasure cruise, socialize and network with one’s upper-crust peers, and take advantage of all of the amenities and services on board. Sailing on luxury liners was a pastime that many of the world’s wealthiest individuals frequently enjoyed; the White Star Line emphasized the notion of the experience of embracing sea travel as not simply a means of traveling from one place to another but as an enjoyment in itself.

The Titanic, like many other luxury liners of the period, was structured to provide an “appropriate” experience to each passenger according to their socioeconomic standing.