Titanic Photo Expected To Sell For £8,000

22 April 2017, 08:20

A photo of the Titanic, taken in Southampton the day before she left, is expected to fetch up to £8,000 at auction.

The large, sepia image of the liner was bought in a Parisian flea market more than 40 years ago - and shows workmen doing some last finishing touches.

It's going under the hammer in Wiltshire - along with items like a fur coat worn by a stewardess.

The photo is undated but was probably taken on April 9 in 1912, the day before the Titanic left Southampton for her maiden voyage to New York.

Five days later, the trip ended in tragedy when the vessel struck an iceberg and sank, claiming the lives of more than 1,500 passengers and crew.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, of Henry Aldridge and Son, described the image as ``one of the finest photographs of the Titanic we have had the privilege of auctioning''.

``The clarity and detail are astonishing with the image capturing abseiling cleaning windows and even a workman on a gantry touching up the paint work on the hull, preparing the final finishing touches before she left Southampton for the first and last time,'' he said.

``The provenance is remarkable as it was purchased in a Parisian flea market over 40 years ago alongside some other marine related images.

``What makes it so remarkable is the level of detail, it is truly incredible and certainly the most detailed I have seen.''

The picture, measuring 18 inches by 11 inches, is expected to fetch between £5,000 and £8,000 at auction.

It will be sold at auction by Henry Aldridge and Son in Devizes, Wiltshire.

A fur worn by stewardess Mabel Bennett, who wore the heavy coat for protection from the cold as she boarded a lifeboat, is also expected to sell for up to £8,000.

(Picture: Henry Aldridge and Son)