Titanic Survivor’s Life Jacket Sells for Nearly $1 Million

A rare life jacket worn by a Titanic survivor sold for over $906,000 at an auction in England, significantly exceeding its initial estimates and confirming the public’s enduring fascination with the 1912 maritime disaster.

The artifact belonged to Laura Mabel Francatelli, a first-class passenger and secretary to fashion designer Lady Duff Gordon, who famously escaped the sinking ship on Lifeboat No. 1. The canvas and cork life preserver is one of only a few known to exist and features the signatures of Francatelli and seven other survivors from her lifeboat.

The auction, held by Henry Aldridge & Son, also saw a lifeboat seat cushion fetch $527,000, purchased by Titanic museums in the U.S. While the life jacket’s price was historic, it remains second to a gold pocket watch belonging to the Carpathia’s captain, which previously sold for nearly $2 million.