Henry Aldridge & Son will soon hold an important auction near Bath, England, where a century-old Titanic deck plan will be sold. The event will take place on October 29 and the document is expected to fetch between £40,000 and £50,000 (approx. $63,000 – $79,000).
Such plans were given to all first class passengers when they bought their tickets for the huge vessel’s maiden voyage. Only three of these 41×29-inch plans are still known to exist today: two in private collections and the one that Henry Aldridge & Son will sell this month. This historic piece of paper belonged to Ida and Isidore Straus, who died together in the tragic sinking of the Titanic, because Mrs. Straus refused to board on a lifeboat and live her husband behind.
If you saw James Cameron’s 1997 “Titanic”, you surely remember the scene where the devoted couple remained cuddled on their bed, waiting for the water to flood the stateroom. In that scene Mr. Straus gave his wife a last kiss on the cheek as a final gesture of love.
The surprisingly detailed plan is still in a very good condition for its age. It is headed “White Star Line, Southampton-Cherbourg-New York Service, First Class Accommodation” and it shows the top five decks of the Titanic, because they made up the first class facilities and accommodation on the ship. Every room is numbered in red ink and the thin paper still bears the pencil marks made by Miss Ellen Bird, the Straus family maid. She marked her suite (C97) with a cross and kept the plan in her possession. She was rescued from the tragic accident and kept the document for the rest of her life.
