Titanic Belfast to display rare lifejacket worn by survivor before it is sold in auction

Eimear Kearney, Commercial Director of Titanic Belfast is pictured as the world-leading visitor attraction welcomes an original lifejacket worn by a female survivor which will be on public display for a limited time. (Pics: William Cherry/Press Eye)

A rare lifejacket worn during the sinking of the Titanic will go on public display in Belfast, offering visitors a powerful and personal connection to one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history.

The artefact, worn by Titanic survivor Laura Mabel Francatelli, has been loaned to Titanic Belfast for a limited-time exhibition and will be on display until Sunday 5 April before heading to auction later in the month.

Signed by Francatelli and several other survivors, the lifejacket is one of the very few remaining examples that can be directly linked to the person who wore it on the night the liner went down in April 1912.

A personal story of survival

Francatelli was travelling as a First-Class passenger aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the disaster in Lifeboat 1, one of only a handful of passengers rescued from the freezing Atlantic waters.

She was the secretary to prominent fashion designer Lady Lucy Duff Gordon, who was also on board alongside her husband Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon. The trio were travelling to Chicago on business when tragedy struck.

The lifejacket now on display bears Francatelli’s signature as well as those of several other survivors, including leading fireman Charles Hendrickson, fireman George Taylor, and able seaman James Horswill.

Its survival — and the signatures preserved on it — make the object an extraordinary piece of Titanic history.

Part of a new exhibition exploring women of Titanic

Original lifejacket worn by a female survivor – Laura Mabel Francatelli, who survived the tragic sinking of RMS Titanic alongside 11 other passengers in Lifeboat 1 – which will be on public display for a limited time.

The lifejacket will form part of a wider free exhibition titled “Women of Titanic: Survival, Influence & Legacy.”

Located on Level 1 Apex of the visitor attraction, the exhibition explores the stories of women who travelled aboard the ship, highlighting their experiences before, during and after the disaster.

Among those featured are Helen Churchill Candee, Marjorie Anne Newell, and Annie Clemmer Funk, offering a deeper look at the lives and legacies of women connected to the Titanic story.

Eimear Kearney, Commercial Director of Titanic Belfast, said the artefact offers a rare emotional link to the past.

“We are honoured to display the lifejacket worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a survivor of RMS Titanic and celebrate the women who travelled onboard through our ‘Women of Titanic: Survival, Influence & Legacy’ exhibition.

“It offers a deeply personal connection to the story of Titanic and to one of its passengers, whose life was spared in the tragedy but irrevocably changed and shaped forever.

“Displaying an artefact worn and signed by Laura Mabel allows us to tell a powerful story of survival, memory and legacy. We are thrilled to be able to give guests from around the world this added experience to view yet another rare piece of Titanic history.”

Rare artefact before international auction

The lifejacket has been loaned by Henry Aldridge and Sons, a Wiltshire-based auction house widely regarded as one of the world’s leading specialists in Titanic memorabilia.

It will remain on public display in Belfast until early April before being offered for sale at auction on 18 April.

Andrew Aldridge, Managing Director of Henry Aldridge and Sons, said Belfast was the fitting place for the artefact to be seen.

“We are delighted to be able to place such a significant artefact on public display at Titanic Belfast ahead of its forthcoming auction.

“Exhibiting Laura Mabel Francatelli’s lifejacket in the city where Titanic was built offers visitors a unique opportunity to view this object of historical importance and find out more about the human story behind it.”

The display provides visitors with a rare opportunity to see an authentic piece of Titanic history in the city where the famous liner was built — and to reflect on the human stories behind the tragedy more than a century later.

At a glance

• A rare Titanic lifejacket worn by survivor Laura Mabel Francatelli is going on display in Belfast.

• The artefact will be shown at Titanic Belfast until 5 April.

• Francatelli survived the sinking in Lifeboat 1 alongside 11 others.

• The lifejacket carries signatures from Francatelli and several other survivors.

• It forms part of the exhibition “Women of Titanic: Survival, Influence & Legacy.”

• The item is on loan from Titanic memorabilia specialists Henry Aldridge and Sons.

• After the display, it will go to auction on 18 April.

• The artefact offers a rare personal link to the people who lived through the disaster.