This is a fabulous original work of art, a reverse glass painting, which was all the rage from 1880-1917.

But it was original art done on an assembly line, with a group of artists all working individually to produce the same pattern with their own paints on their own piece.

Ones in fabulous condition like this are rare.

In the early 1900s, as immigrant traffic to North America increased rapidly, Germany and Britain competed in building the largest and fastest passenger liners to capture the market.

In 1911, the White Star Line launched the sensation of the era, the Titanic, reputed to be so large and safe she was widely considered to be "unsinkable."

On her maiden voyage, in April 1912, racing to win the Blue Riband, for making the fastest passage across the Atlantic, she hit an iceberg in the middle of the night and started to sink.

In a "Night to Remember" she went down with some 1200 passengers and sent a generation into shock.

Even though this painting was produced to a pattern, no two are ever exactly alike. They are originals, not repros. Each is an individual creation, hand crafted by an individual artist, and antique, done in 1912.

The original paint, and often silver foil for lights and windows, was applied by an artist on the back of the glass, to protect it from abrasion, and covered over. So, under the loupe, in close up, you will see only the surface of the paint, no dots from a photomechanical reproduction.

Still, variations in temperature and the different coefficients of expansion of glass and paint, have wreaked havoc with many of these paintings. Many have badly peeling paint. So many have been thrown out.

Other companies produced other patterns. We have seen two patterns for the Sinking of the Lusitania. But many other subjects were endlessly repeated.

Go to Reverse Glass Ship Sinkings

Go to the Immigrant Ships