Henry Aldridge & Son

The Devizes Auctioneers

Henry Aldridge and Son the leading auctioneers of Titanic memorabilia were honoured to be chosen to auction the complete collection of Titanic memorabilia from the last American Titanic Survivor Miss Lillian Asplund on April 19^th 2008 as part of their latest auction of Titanic items. There were several factors that made this archive so important and helped create so much interest. The quality of material contained within it was paramount and the fact it was being sold by direct descent with impeccable provenance and had never been published or on public view in its entirety before. The artefacts were kept in Miss Asplunds home in a box in her desk where they remained until after her passing. Henry Aldridge and Son were contacted late in 2007 about the collection by a member of Miss Asplunds family and it was appraised shortly afterwards.

It is well documented that Carl and Selma Asplund immigrated to America in 1891/92 and married in 1896. They had five children: Filip Oscar 13 , Clarence 9,  Lillian 5, Carl Edgar 5 and Felix 3 and returned to Sweden in 1907 due to family commitments. But they made the fateful decision to move back to Worcester, Massachusetts in 1912 having first booked passage with the White Star Line. The contract ticket, one of only a handful known to survive today was purchased by the family from White Star Lines Gothenburg Shipping Agent Carl Eriksson on April 5^th 1912. It was sold to Stanley Lehrer, America’s and probably the Worlds Leading Collector of Titanic artifacts for £33000. The next stage of the family’s trip led them to the English port of Hull. They boarded a vessel called the Calypso for the short trip across the North Sea then once in England caught a train to Southampton. The Emigrant forwarding order another of the very rare elements of the archive was collected upon the Asplunds arrival in Southampton. The purpose of this document upon some further research became clear. Once the Titanic arrived in New York, the family were to hand over this Order and it would have ensured their smooth transit through emigration and then onwards to their final destination of Worcester, Massachusetts. This document read that the pass would guarantee “Emigrant Class Passage for seven persons making four adults from New York to Worcester, Mass which charge the account of SS Titanic sailing 10^th April 1912” sic. It was sold to a collector from London who was bidding in the auction room for £27000.

Selma Asplund was interviewed by the press shortly after the sinking and her account appeared in the Boston Post on April 20^th 1912.

“My husband was by my side in an instant and in all of our nightdresses made our way to the deck to see what had happened. There was no panic, no cries, just orderly procession to learn the cause of the shock and see if there were any danger, none of us believed there really was. With my mother’s instinct, I clasped my sleeping baby to my breast and took him with me. Little Lillian followed, while my three older boys clung to their father. On deck we found them lowering the boats and as we were near where one was being manned, with others I was told to get in. I did not want to leave my husband and children, but he said it was all right. He would come down with the boys after me, that is was only a few minutes till they shifted the ship and then we would all be back again”.

“I had no clothing on to speak of and the night was bitter cold. A man from Steerage took off his coat and wrapped it around little Felix, my baby. Looking up I saw my husband with six year old Lillian in his arms. He cried out to a man in the boat with me and dropped Lillian over to him; he caught her and placed her by my side. “Now you come” I cried “with the boys” but he shook his head. We pulled away. As the water came between us and the Titanic still saw him standing there by the rail, I shall always see him, as I did in the last few minutes. There at the rail with my three grown boys, hand in hand smiling sweetly at me to the last”

 
Carl's body was found on 26^th April by the Mackay Bennett but Lillian’s twin Carl Edgar and their brothers Oscar and Clarence were never recovered. Carl’s personal possessions were sent to his widow Selma at 151 Vernon Street, Worcester, MA.  She received the effects and signed the receipt, which was witnessed  by  Charles A Orstram  and notarized by  Victor E Pineo 10th June 1912, almost two months since the disaster. Among these possessions noted on the deposition of effects from the Nova Scotia Coroners office was Carl’s pocket watch with the hands locked in time at 02.19. It was purchased by a leading Swedish Collector and  historian for £31,000 against spirited bidding from the US, Europe and Asia.

The family's money that Selma claimed Carl had been in carrying was also never found. However lot 320 in the auction comprised of a pair of keys recovered from Carl, again recorded by the Nova Scotia Coroner and sent back to Selma, perhaps these held the secret to unlocking that particular mystery. Selma died on 15^th April 1965, 52 years to the day after the sinking and Felix the third surviving family member died on the 1^st March 1983 aged 73.

The collection also contained Carl and Selma Asplunds wedding rings, unpublished family photographs, two pocket books, important correspondence from the White Star Line and other personal effects. One of these two books revealed some previously unknown information about the family. From researching this particular volume and with the invaluable assistance of eminent Swedish historian and author Claes Goran Wetterholm we can now say that the Asplund family were looking to go back to America as early as 1911. Within one of the books is a handwritten note, possibly copied from a publicity flyer extolling the virtues of starting a new life in California. This points to the fact that Carl and the family were contemplating returning to the USA as early as March 1911. Although written in Swedish, translated it reveals.

"California wants people like you, now is your time to come here. We have green grass and wild flowers at this time of year and all the facilities you can have"

One of the most emotional lots in the collection further illustrating the heartbreak suffered by the family is a letter written by Carl Asplund’s mother and Lillians Grandmother 16 months after the tragedy. She writes "My nerves are so weak and my eyes are so poor because I have been crying so much but I hope that my grieving days soon will have an end and I will join the final rest where God has promised to wipe out the tears from all the faces." sic.

The sale of the collection created a tidal wave of publicity with the archive being shown on Good Morning America as well as a number of other US television stations. The story was also well represented in both the British and European media. Newspaper coverage was on a truly global scale to such an extent the story was even covered in Iran, Pakistan and Macau, at one stage Google News held over 300 articles relating to the sale. The archive sold for just over £125000

The Asplund collection only accounted for 10% of the lots in the sale though. Other highlights included the original cover artwork for Walter Lord’s book A Night to Remember. Painted in acrylic in 1955 and bearing numerous notes on the reverse from the publishers, it was estimated at £8000-£12000. Two buyers in the room competed to own this iconic piece of artwork, it sold for £12000. Abraham Mishellany was Titanic’s onboard printer and a collection of material from him was consigned for the sale. It had been purchased for a few hundred pounds at a saleroom in the South East in 2007, the vendor upon doing some research on the internet on Titanic memorabilia wisely decided that Henry Aldridge and Son was the place to sell it. Although the collection did not contain any significant written material from the Titanic, rather period ephemera from the aftermath including a postcard from the White Star Line to Mishellany’s wife saying “Regret your husband not saved”. The collection sold for just over its top estimate at £6000. Other highlights included a pair of menus from Titanic’s younger sister that although suffering from wear and tear realized £5700 and two letters relating to Titanic’s ice flags and inventory of bunting sent from W.Jones and Son of Liverpool on April 4^th and 11^th made £3000. Further lots that merit mention included a signed photograph of the Officers of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued the survivors from the Titanic which made £3200, a letter written on the SS Sardinian on the 25^th April and describing Titanic’s wreck site in graphic detail £3800, a photo postcard of the crew of the SS Olympic from late 1911 £2300, a period Titanic publicity brochure £2300 and a personal diary of a passenger from the SS Adriatic which mentioned Titanic as she sailed by at 6pm on April 11^th £3500. Henry Aldridge’s next auction of Titanic memorabilia will be on October 18^th.