In 1912, when the Titanic met her untimely end, photography was in its formative years. Consequently, cameras were expensive and rare, making photographs a luxury. Nonetheless, we’ll be taking glimpses into the few preserved pictures of the RMS Titanic.

Since the ship’s wreckage lay in one of the deepest trenches of the Atlantic Ocean, there was a need to develop submersible technologies that could support human life at staggering ocean depths.

However, in the earlier 1900s, the news making the rounds was the stately grandeur of the $7,500,000 ship. RMS Titanic was, at the time, the pride of human ingenuity. The public sentiments surrounding its construction were similar to what we would get if a cruise ship larger than the Queen Mary 2 was constructed in the 21st century.

To accommodate a wide range of passengers, there were three status classes on the Titanic; first, second, and third class. Let’s relive what it felt like voyaging on the RMS Titanic.

Like the woman in this frame, she decided to go on board with some lace material to be sold. We don’t doubt that she must have made a lot of money from selling her wares; some very affluent people were on that ship.

Nonetheless, Captain Edward John Smith was acclaimed to be one of the best captains in the employ of White Star Line—the company that owns and operates the vessel.

These workers were paid handsomely, but they were among the first to lose their lives after the Titanic collided with an iceberg.

One of the many features that distinguished the Titanic is its Grand Staircase which connected multiple decks of the ship. This staircase was so awe-inspiring that passengers would likely forget they were not in a five-star hotel.

These eight musicians were not on White Star Line’s payroll; they were employed by a Liverpool music agency called C.W. & F.N. Black. They traveled in second class and discharged their services in the first; unfortunately, none survived.

As portrayed in Cameron’s movie, we can imagine the third-class passengers had dance halls for their version of exercise.

Children in first class were also given access to the gymnasium at specific times during the day. Unfortunately, of the 109 kids aboard the Titanic, only 56 made it out alive. Most of the kids that perished in the sinking were from third class.

A look at this lounge on the A-Deck of the ship showed that premium passengers of the Titanic were given a real treat for their expensive fare. First-class passengers were reportedly paid an equivalent of $1,900 in today’s currency.

Of course, no one would have needed a major haircut during the journey, but men probably had to trim their beards and mustache. The RMS Titanic had two barber shops, one for first-class passengers and the other for second-class.

We can imagine Chef Gaspare Gatti must have made a lot of money from running this initiative aboard one of the most prestigious vessels of the time. The restaurant was likely a go-to place for passengers who didn’t like the ship’s general serving or wanted to hang out.

These cabins were made private and solely for the elite. Before the voyage got rough, third-class passengers were not allowed in this section of the vessel.

For wealthy but frugal passengers, these second-class cabins must have provided as much comfort as the palaces in the first-class section. In fact, it is argued that some of the Titanic’s second-class cabins were on par with the premium ones.

Unfortunately, the third-class cabins were built into the lower decks. So, when the Titanic hit the iceberg in the early morning hours, many third-class passengers were still asleep.

However, despite its wide contrast from the first and second-class diners and longest, it would still have qualified as a luxury for the average third-class passenger of the Titanic. The cafeteria served meals with China ceramics and silverware cutleries on well-set furniture.

However, it was reported that the most valued item on the ship was an oil painting by Merry-Joseph Blondel. The piece was part of the cargo being transported by the Titanic, which has also been certified as a cargo ship by the Royal Mail Service.

The steering rudder was also controlled by a mechanism powered by a dedicated steam engine. In this frame, the man standing beneath the central propeller gives perspective to the ship’s size.

However, the Titanic was equipped with electric cranes and steam winches operated by crew members. So, the cargo and baggage of passengers were onboarded by crew members. It is a pity all that luggage did not make it to New York.

The furniture and fittings were missing, probably swept far away by strong ocean currents. Unfortunately, just one of the giant propellers is still intact and attached to the wreckage.

The idea was to provide the women a space to retreat and chat in after dinner. Unfortunately, it was left largely unused during the voyage.

Like the living quarters, the top deck was sectioned; a part for second-class passengers, another for engineers and officers, and the last portion for first-class passengers.

The Titanic’s swimming pool was located on the same deck as the kennel and Turkish bath. Unlike the pools recent cruise ship have, which has treated water, Titanic’s swimming pool only had heated salt water.

In the lounges, first and second-class passengers could order alcohol as early as 8 am. However, these areas were mainly used for social discussions.

Twenty-six months later, the ship was completed and launched, making it the largest ocean liner of the time. The metal beam in this frame is one of the many braces used in the construction of the Titanic at the Belfast shipyard.

To complement the radiotelegraphy equipment, the Titanic had a strong antenna transmitter installed, capable of covering a 350-mile radius of the ship. In this frame, you can see the only surviving picture of the Titanic’s radio room.

Consequently, some of the boats capsized during lowering. If all 20 lifeboats had been lowered safely as the Titanic sank, 1,178 people would have been saved.

The RMS Carpathia could not rescue the sinking Titanic, but she evacuated the survivors in the lifeboats to New York. They tried reaching passengers in the water, but sadly, none survived the frigid cold.