Titanic Artifacts Peak Interest With The Passing Of The Second To Last Survivor

The Titanic carries with its name a resounding historical presence when mentioned. Stories from that fateful night as well as images from the 1997 blockbuster smash hit Titanic floated through my mind as I read that Barbara West Dainton had passed yesterday. She is believed to have been one of the last two remaining survivors from the doomed ship that sank in 1912 according to the Titanic Historical Society. When the Titanic sank, it killed 1,500 people including Barbara's father, Edwy Arthur West, although she was too young at the time to remember the tragedy.
News of Barbara's passing triggered my curiosity of how many and what artifacts are still available to be seen from the Titanic. The word collectible doesn't seem to do these pieces justice as they are so rich with history and personal value. Check out some of these pieces I found and if you have any artifacts of your own, perhaps passed down from your relatives, link them to this blog as I'm sure everyone would love to see them.

This deck chair was given to Reverend Henry W. Cunningham, who was the minister aboard the Minea during the body recovery. He received the chair in recognition of his work with burial and memorial services. This chair is one of the only intact chairs in the world that matches those visible in Titanic photographs. It is made of mahogany and an unidentified hard wood and it bears a carved five-pointed star, which is the emblem of the White Star Line.

This lounge paneling was recovered with bodies by the cable ship Minia and kept by her captain W.G. Squares de Carteret, who later donated it to the Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management. The carvers were given an outline but allowed to follow their own imagination in the details, so each carving is a unique piece of artwork. This particular piece comes from the arch over the forward entrance to the first class lounge, which is the area where the Titanic broke in half just before sinking, thus the broken edges.


Adolphe Saalfeld was a perfume maker from Manchester, England. At the age of 47, he boarded the Titanic as a first-class passenger, and he carried with him a leather satchel filled with perfume samples. At the time Titanic sailed, the American perfume market was booming. He may have planned to sell his perfumes to fashion boutiques and department stores in New York and other major cities. Adolphe Saalfeld survived the sinking but left his samples behind. Of the 65 vials that Saalfeld packed in his luggage, 62 have been recovered. These perfumes vials have never been on public display.


These brass letters spell “C dec” and were originally located in the first class grand staircase to direct passengers to the C level. The “k” was never recovered. This artifact has never been on public display.