A life jacket worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a first-class passenger who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic, was auctioned for $906,000 (£670,000) on Saturday. The flotation device, signed by Francatelli and other survivors from the same lifeboat, exceeded its presale estimate of £250,000–£350,000. The auction, held by Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, England, also sold a Titanic lifeboat seat cushion for $527,000 (£390,000) to the owners of two Titanic museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri.
The life jacket, a cream-colored canvas with cork-filled sections, has been displayed in museums across the U.S. and Europe. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge noted that only a few such life jackets worn by survivors still exist, with most held in museums. The high prices reflect the enduring fascination with the Titanic, which sank on April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg during its maiden voyage from England to New York. Of the 2,200 passengers and crew, approximately 1,500 died.
Francatelli was traveling with her employer, fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon, and Lucy’s husband, Cosmo Duff Gordon. They survived in lifeboat No. 1, which was launched with only 12 people despite having capacity for 40. The lifeboat’s failure to rescue more survivors became a point of controversy.