Rare Titanic Life Jacket Sells at Auction
The life jacket must have been priceless to the survivor it saved. To a collector today, it’s worth almost a million dollars.
The Titanic’s fame comes from the tragedy of its sinking, but its survivors’ stories carry messages of hope and resilience. Today, these stories are often told through their possessions from the voyage, which are sought by collectors. One exceptionally rare and poignant memento, a life jacket worn by a survivor, sold at English auction house Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd. for a stunning £670,000 (just over $900,000).
Aldridge, a specialist in Titanic memorabilia, held its Auction of Titanic, White Star, Transport and Icons of the 20th Century on April 18. The life jacket was expected to be one of the top sellers; it is the only one from the Titanic to come to auction. It is made of canvas with 12 cork-filled pockets and marked for maker Fosbery & Co. of Rich St. Limehouse, London.
The life jacket was worn by first-class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli, secretary to dress designer Lady Lucy Duff Gordon, who was traveling with her husband, fifth baronet Sir Cosmo. All three survived the ship’s sinking. After two lifeboats proved full, they boarded lifeboat No. 1, one of two emergency boats. The boat turned out to be the source of controversy: even though it held only 12 people, including crew members, and had the capacity for 40, it did not rescue anyone who had fallen into the sea.
Francatelli would later write about her experiences. The life jacket remained in her family until a private collector bought it about 20 years ago, and it has been displayed in museums.
The auction also offered a seat cushion from the Titanic lifeboats, which sold for £390,000 (about $527,000). It was sold with a letter detailing its purchase by Kenneth C. Schultz, a famous collector of Titanic memorabilia, in 1987. Displayed at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia, and appearing in the book Titanic: Fortune and Fate by Stanley Lehrer, it is an emblematic memento of one of the defining events of the 20th century.
Images: Henry Aldridge & Son, Ltd.
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