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Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic exhibit logo

Hindenburg’s Final Moments, Lakehurst, New Jersey, May 6, 1937
Courtesy Bill Schneider Photograph Collection

Hindenburg Passenger Autographed Card, 1936
German boxer Max Schmeling and movie actor Douglas Fairbanks, both passengers, signed this card for Captain Albert Sammt. In 1937, Sammt survived the Hindenburg disaster by jumping from the gondola and climbing through the burning wreckage crashing down around him.

Hindenburg Disaster Card, 1937
The zeppelin Hindenburg burst into flames on May 6, 1937, while attempting to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. The disaster destroyed the ship in thirty-four seconds, ending the magnificent era of lighter-than-air commercial travel. Postal officials salvaged only about 160 burned pieces of mail out of more than 17,000 pieces that had been aboard. Salvaged from the wreckage, the U.S. Post Office Department enclosed the fragile, charred remains in a glassine envelope, officially sealing it before delivery to the addressee.

Hindenburg Salvaged Serving Bowl, 1937
Hindenburg’s logo, luxuriously etched into the silver, contrasts with the burnt edges, unexpectedly illustrating the triumph and tragedy of the zeppelin’s brief time as North America’s first regularly scheduled air service.
Courtesy Henry Applegate

Hindenburg Postcard of Interior, 1936

Hindenburg Coffee Pot, 1936
The dining room tables invited passengers to three meals a day with white linens, fresh flowers, sterling silver, and porcelain china service created for the ship. The chief steward and up to six waiters provided superlative service.

Hindenburg Brochure, 1937
Promotional brochures extolled the luxurious life onboard. The romance of flight plus travel in half the time of an ocean voyage by ship appealed to adventurous travelers, business professionals, and famous personalities.

Titanic Postcard, 1912
Courtesy Dr. Edward and Joanne Dauer

Letter Mailed on Titanic, 1912
First-class passenger George E. Graham, a Canadian returning from a European buying trip for Eaton’s department store, addressed this folded letter on Titanic stationery. Destined for Berlin, the envelope was postmarked on the ship and sent ashore with the mail, probably at Cherbourg, France. The morgue ship Mackay-Bennett recovered Graham’s body.

Titanic Passengers, 1912
Twenty-two Titanic passengers huddled in Lifeboat D, the last to leave the sinking ship.

Titanic Postal Clerk’s Pocket Watch, 1912
This watch was found on the body of John Starr March, an American mail clerk on Titanic. It probably stopped when the ship sank in the Atlantic.

Keys for Titanic’s Post Room, 1912
The largest key was probably for the registered mail bags aboard Titanic; the smaller keys were likely for desks or cabinets in the post office room. These postal keys and chain were recovered from mail clerk Oscar Scott Woody’s body.

Titanic Mourning Postcard, 1912
Many survivors remembered that the Titanic’s eight musicians played the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee” immediately before the ship sank. The hymn became a popular theme on Titanic memorial postcards. None of the musicians survived.
Courtesy Dr. Edward and Joanne Dauer

Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912
The last mooring line connecting Titanic to land is cast off.
Courtesy National Museums Northern Ireland

Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic exhibit

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum

Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic exhibit

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum

Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic exhibit

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum

Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic exhibit

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum

Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic exhibit

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum

Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic exhibit

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum