Titanic captain’s mirror up for auction
A MIRROR belonging to the Titanic’s captain could sell for £10,000 when it goes under the hammer in Lichfield.
Captain Edward John Smith, from Stoke, went down with his ship after the “unsinkable” liner hit an iceberg during its maiden voyage. The disaster unfolded shortly before midnight on April 14, 1912.
The silver-framed easel mirror, which sat on Captain Smith’s dressing table at home, features in Richard Winterton Auctioneers’ fine and decorative arts sale at Lichfield Auction Centre on December 12.
Included with the mirror is a small brown envelope containing a handwritten note explaining the item’s provenance.
After his death, Captain Smith’s housekeeper, Ethelwynne, was invited to choose an item as a keepsake and in lieu of wages.
The letter, written by her sister-inlaw Hilda, says that the housekeeper chose the silver mirror.
The note – addressed to someone called Ida – then chillingly adds: “She (Ethelwynne) always spooked me when she said that at times she could still see Captain Smith’s face in it on the anniversary of when the Titanic was sunk.”
Mr Winterton said: “The last time Captain Edward John Smith saw his own noble, bearded visage before leaving home to take the helm of the Titanic was possibly in this very mirror.
“Even with one’s feet firmly on land and in the sunshine of a clear afternoon, there is something otherworldly about seeing your own reflection in such an object.
“Captain Smith must have surveyed his own image in this mirror countless times and the legend that his face can still be seen in it on each anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking is as compelling as it is chilling.
“Whoever buys this in December will have it in good time to test that legend for themselves on the 107th anniversary next April.”
Mr Winterton added: “Interest in the Titanic is as strong as ever. This mirror could fetch well in excess of £10,000 at auction.”
A statue of Smith was unveiled in Lichfield’s Beacon Park in July 1914. The cathedral city was chosen because of its status as the centre of Staffordshire’s diocese.