Nearer My God To Thee: Remembering The Titanic Through Postcards

The first of many posts about disasters.

Apologies for the delay in posting. My worlk life has been exhausting and yet another traumatic family event put me out for a little while. I will attempt to get back on my feet and back to sending out newsletters more frequent.

Fo some unbeknownest reason, recent news about $8 and blue check marks and doofuses over paying for a social media platform got me thinking about Titanic and postcards produced shortly after its demise.

Sinking of the RMS Titanic - April 15, 1912

I am positive you have have heard of the demise of the RMS Titanic. Perhaps the most famous disaster in history, the wreck of the Titanic has been memorialized in countless books, songs, films and postcards.

Some of America’s wealthiest and most prominent people were lost on board the luxury liner including John Jacob Astor IV, Macy’s owner Isidor Straus, businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, painter and sculptor Francis Davis Millet and railroad executives John B. Thayer and Charles M. Hays. American tycoon J.P. Morgan, owner of Titanic, cancelled his travel shortly before setting sail.

The RMS Titanic was the largest ship ever built and set sail on its maiden April 10 from London and was bound for New York. Late on April 14th, the ship hit an iceberg about 375 miles south of Newfoundland. The collision caused plates in the hull to buckle, allowing five compartments to take on water. Passengers and crew began to flee the ship in lifeboats, unfortunately Titanic only carried 20 lifeboats for the estimated 2,224 people on board. Women and children were put upon the often partially loaded lifeboats, leaving men aboard the sinking ship. Less than three hours after the collision, Titanic broke apart. More than 1,000 people were still on board at the time.  The RMS Carpathia arrived two hours later and rescue some 700 people from the freezing water.

News of the disaster spread quickly all of the world and was met with shock and horror at the appalling loss of life. After the disaster, both the U.S. and England made changes to lifeboat regulations.

Postcard publishers from all over the word, especially England and the United States were quick to commemorate the disaster. There were not many pictures of the new ship, and none while at sea so publishers took liberties.

Many cards showed what was allegedly Titanic, but was actually the slightly older sister ship Olympic. The most popular themed used to monetize the disaster was “Nearer My God to Thee.”

Survivors remembered that as the Titanic sank, the ship’s eight musicians were heard playing the hymn. The musicians famously went down with the ship.  Postcards often showed an illustration of the ship, lyrics from the hymn, or religious iconography.

Instead of dwelling on the tragedy, let’s share some of these “Nearer My God To Thee” postcards.

Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
E’en though it be a cross
That raiseth me.

Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!