Greetings! Putting some finishing touches on the Ocean Liner Exhibition in the Duckett Gallery at the Mary C. Cultural Center in Ocean Springs!
There are four more days until it opens on June 27th. Doors open at 5:30, and yours truly will give opening remarks in the auditorium at 5:45. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
(Originally posted June 24, 2024. I’ve posted a few snaps from the exhibition.)
This newsie, Ned Parfett, was 16 when he appeared in an iconic newspaper picture. Sadly, he was killed in the last day of WWI. James Pendergrass with his hand-crafted model of the magnificent S.S. United States. He also created all of the other, highly technical ship models. They were the icing on the cake, so to speak. Thank you, James, for adding another evocative layer to the exhibition.The Exhibition was designed to represent a family going on an ocean voyage. Outside the shirred window was a backdrop of a four-stack liner tied up at a pier. The “family” had been taking afternoon tea and perusing a vintage Titanic menu card. The ill-fated Lusitania. The family parrot with a packed steamer trunk. Another of James Pendergrass’s incredible models, this one, the S.S. America. A steamer trunk is being packed for the voyage. On the wall, a violin representing Wallace Hartley’s famous violin. Dressed to the nines, this stylish 1920s couple is off to dinner in the First Class Dining Room. A period brochure of the S.S. Statendam, various vintage ocean liner china, and period brass launch metals for the exquisite S.S. Normandy. The book caption says it best: “Death of a Titan.”
The family’s Victorian dress sports vintage ocean liner postcards from their travels, and the clock is set at 2:20, a sad time aboard the rapidly sinking R.M.S. Titanic. My dear father gave Walter Lord’s book, “A Night to Remember,” to me at Christmas 1967. It was the catalyst that launched my love of ocean liners.
The gentleman of the house is packing his cufflinks, a fancy necktie, and his bowler hat. After perusing his vintage Grace Line brochure, he’ll pack his wife’s Ascot hat box for a day at the races. The SS Brasil was an American-built ocean liner launched at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in 1957 for the Moore-McCormack Lines South American service. It is another of Mr. Pendergrass’s models. The one above it is an unknown ship. An Art Deco cabinet filled with reproductions of Titanic’s First, Second, and Third Class china, period ship pictures, and hand-blown Christmas ornaments from the Polonaise Collection. Some of the family’s luggage is ready to go. The exhibition also included a vintage globe and a snap of the French Line’s famous Ile de France. Throughout it were famous quotes from famous people about the famous liners of days gone by. A big THANK YOU to Dr. Pat Pinson and Sarah Qarqish for helping bring the exhibition to fruition. My statement concerning the exhibition as you walked into the gallery. Pictures from the Exhibition, as displayed in my home. The famous Queen Mary cutaway shows her interiors. A cute TeaTanic teapot. The Titanic’s famous cutaway shows her interior. A popcorn tub from the 1997 movie. The “Family” all dressed to board their ship to ports of interest. James’ model of the magnificent S.S. Normandy. To me, she was the most beautiful ocean liner ever built. Another clock at 2:20. A collection of vintage travel brochures from James’ collection of liner memorabilia. Additional brochures.
