R.M.S. Titanic : The only Titanic life jacket from a survivor of the disaster to ever be offered for auction, worn by First Class Passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli on board lifeboat Number 1 and autographed by fellow survivors from the lifeboat. This Fosbery & Co life preserver comprises of twelve cork-filled pockets of canvas with shoulder rests and side straps, stencilled with the makers mark for FOSBERY & CO, RICH ST LIMEHOUSE LONDON and further stencilled FRONT, INSIDE BACK and WARRANTED TO PASS BOARD OF TRADE SURVEY in diamond panels, with two pairs of side straps. The panels are autographed and inscribed by eight of the survivors from lifeboat 1. including Laura Mabel FRANCATELLI SAVED FROM WRECK TITANIC 15 APRIL 1912; J. Tayler Fireman oarsman April 15; Saved 14 April C. Hendrickson; J. Horsewill, R. Pusey and F. Sheath -- 15 x 12in. (38 x 30.5cm.) together with a newspaper photograph showing the surviving group from lifeboat number 1, and naming Francatelli and the Duff Gordons -- 8 x 11¼in. (20 x 28.5cm.) Framed and glazed together with a photocopy of Francatelli's letter, written on April 20th from her hotel, describing the whole incident from being awoken to the arrival of Carpathia . (3)
Those familiar with the story of the Titanic , the world's most famous shipwreck will instantly recognise the name of Laura Mabel Francatelli. Not only was she a first class passenger who survived the disaster to write at least two vivid accounts of her experiences during the fateful night of 14th-15th April 1912, but she was also a central character in what soon became one of the most talked about episodes of the entire tragedy.
Miss Francatelli, travelling in cabin E-36, was employed as secretary to Lady Lucy Duff Gordon who, accompanied by her husband Sir Cosmo, the fifth baronet, had booked passage on the Titanic as part of a journey to Chicago. Despite his privileged background, Lady Duff Gordon was, in fact, far better known in society than her husband since she was not only the sister of Elinor Glyn, the novelist and mistress of Lord Curzon, but she was also a brilliant and leading dress designer who ran one of London's most famous salons, Madame Lucille, in Hanover Square, along with similar establishments in Paris and New York. For the Duff Gordons and Miss Francatelli, the North Atlantic crossing aboard the brand-new luxury liner proved a hectic round of enjoyable social engagements interspersed with luxury meals and meeting the cream of society on both sides of the Atlantic such as John Jacob Astor, all of which came to an abrupt halt just before midnight on Sunday 14th April. Once both crew and passengers had been roused, people began to congregate on the stricken vessel's boat deck and the boats themselves were gradually filled and lowered in a somewhat haphazard order. Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon, with Miss Francatelli, had initially gone to lifeboat No. 7 and thence to No. 3 in the hope of being able to stay together; when neither boat provided this opportunity, they made their way to No. 1 (emergency boat), one of two on Titanic which were kept swung out and ready for lowering at any time during the voyage. Smaller than the conventional lifeboats which could accommodate 65 persons, the emergency boats only held 40. In his testimony to the subsequent Inquiry into the sinking, Sir Cosmo claimed that First Officer Murdoch had practically invited the party to get into that particular boat but, whatever the truth of this, it is sufficient to record that lifeboat No.1 was lowered with only 12 people in it -- the Duff Gordons, Miss Francatelli, 2 American male passengers and 7 crewmen, all stokers.
Controversy arose when the occupants opted not to return to the spot where the ship had foundered in order to try and rescue at least some of the huge number of people floundering in the icy sea. Leading Fireman Charles Hendrickson seems to have been the only dissenting voice; As Titanic's stern slipped below the waves, Lady Duff Gordon turned to Miss Francatelli and made one of the night's most memorable remarks: "There is your beautiful nightdress gone." Pusey, another fireman, turned to the two women and said: "Never mind that, you have saved your lives; but we have lost our kit." Sir Cosmo was deeply upset when he heard that the crew's wages ceased at the very moment their ship sank, offered what, at the time, seemed like an act of genuine charity. Turning to Miss Francatelli, he instructed her to draft seven 'orders' for £5 each one drawn on his London bank (Coutts) and written out by her on blank paper, ready for him to sign. In point of fact, the orders themselves were not actually drawn until 16th April (on board the Carpathia ).
The lifejacket has been on display at the worlds largest Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge and most recently at Titanic Belfast.