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105 years today. April 15th 1912 TITANIC Millvina Dean UNIQUE Example Signed Photograph Vintage

105 years ago today! Millvina Deans autograph, signed to me just before she passed. The last survivor of the Titanic disaster - the youngest too. An autograph it is not that scarce. BUT Not common. Many forgeries. Many common signatures on common images. But I sent her a vintage (1924) hand-tinted colorized photograph (with proper colors), to her residence at an old age facility...an original print of the WSL Adriatiac, hand colored, the liner that took her back to England on with her brother and mother after the Titanic disaster in 1912. Her father was lost. This was signed right before she died - one of her very last I think knowing when she passed.  I sent a sepia fine point Sharpie. Vintage look. It worked too. I did get a short interview for my work which was thrilling. To speak with a Titanic survivor in 2014 or 2015? Oh My. I am very proud to have this. It is unique, by design. Some of you know, I am a Cunard liner historian and image restorer. It was on this Maiden Voyage of this ship, the Adriatic, that her Captain, Titanic's future Captain (!!!), said "I have had a boring life at sea, never been shipwrecked, modern shipbuilding has gone beyond this" or some such. Well....guess again! A few years later...with Titanic...well...go full speed at night at night on a moonless evening with reported ice fields as a standard procedure and this is going to happen. It's that simple. 

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this is a pretty cool autograph...not one that i could have imagined seeking or having....very unique this morning...thank you for posting...

Hi Eric

That is a fantastic piece and it is great of you to think of sharing it on the anniversary.

As a Cunard historian and someone obviously interested in the Titanic you may be able to help me out.

I bought the attached card some time ago. Although it is one of the darkest photographic portraits I ever remember seeing it is purported to show Wallace Hartley, the Titanic bandleader (for others who may be reading this).

The back is apparently inscribed by him during his time in the band of Cunard's Mauretania.

As you know, there are very few Hartley autographs around but the signature (faint as it is) looks to have a fair chance of being his. 

What do you think? If you have any other info on Hartley's Mauretania time (including references to sites or books etc.) do let me know.

Attachments: No photo uploads here

OT: Not autograph related but history.

Yesterday, May 7th, was the 104th anniversary of the sinking of the Cunard liner Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland with a loss of 1,198 lives. I share some items from my Lusitania collection below: A sepia-toned gelatin silver matte finish photograph of sisters Mauretania and Lusitania at the Canada Basin on October 9th, 1909.  It is very unusual to have them together as they were usually at opposite ends of the Atlantic. Next a passengers candid photograph taken on board the Boat Deck looking forward, in 1912. This print is mounted to thick card and has hand applied gold leaf edges (they don't show here)! Next is a very rare privately held fragment of the hull of Lusitania, recovered in September of 1982. It is a fragment of a watertight door hand gear from Shelter Deck. As this site is now protected no more of this material will be recovered. Last is a "Photo COA" for the fragment from a friend and the leading authority on Lusitania who has visited the wreck many times. The fragment is in a box made by "retired" yardworkers, often injured from scrap work, using the old growth walnut taken from the Mauretania when she was scrapped in 1935/36 - it is a fine pocket watch holder. I like to think of it as an early slab ;)

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