An elegant gold Asprey cigarette case given as a gift to a man who helped a high society couple after they fled the sinking Titanic is up for auction.
It’s inscribed with the message, ‘Ernest G F Brown RNR, in remembrance of kindness. SS Carpathia. From Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon’ and, on the front, features the initials ‘EB’.
Ernest Brown helped the couple on board the Carpathia, the ship which rescued Titanic survivors. The gift, due to be sold at Derbyshire’s Hansons Auctioneers in September, has a huge tale to tell with a hint of scandal. That’s because Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon were accused of bribing their way off the Titanic as it perished in icy waters in April, 1912.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “This cigarette case in its own right is a wonderful object but its provenance sends its importance soaring to titanic heights. The sinking of the Titanic has fascinated the world for more than 100 years and such was the Duff-Gordons’ impact on events their roles are played in 1997 movie Titanic.
“Sir Cosmo and famous fashion designer Lady Duff-Gordon escaped the Titanic in Lifeboat No. 1, but it was half empty. Though designed to hold 40 people, only 12 were on board, including seven crew members.
“As the Titanic sank, it was claimed Lucy Duff-Gordon said to her secretary, ‘There is your beautiful nightdress gone’.
“A fireman, allegedly annoyed by her comment, replied that while the couple could replace their property, he and the other crew members had lost everything. Sir Cosmo then offered each of the men £5 (equivalent to £454) to aid them.
“In the aftermath of the tragedy, the couple were accused of buying their way off the boat, a story inflamed by the tabloid press. But at a British Board of Trade inquiry into the disaster, where the couple testified, Sir Cosmo was adamant he’d given the money as a gesture of goodwill to help the men. However, mud sticks and they were tainted by the incident for the rest of their lives.
“Nevertheless, on board the Carpathia at least they were met with kindness by Ernest Brown – kindness they so valued they gave him an extravagant gift, the Asprey gold cigarette case. Such it is Titanic significance its auction estimate is £40,000 to £60,000. Titanic collectors all over the world may well be interested in bidding for this.”
Lady Duff-Gordon, who lived from 1863 to 1935, was the first British fashion designer to achieve international acclaim. She was widely acknowledged as an innovator in couture styles. She originated the ‘mannequin parade’, a precursor to the modern fashion show, launched liberating clothing and opened branches of her fashion house, Lucile Ltd, in London, Chicago, New York City and Paris.
Sir Cosmo, who lived from 1862-1931, was the son of the Honourable Cosmo Lewis Duff-Gordon and Anna Maria Antrobus. He was the 5th Baronet of Halkin. In 1772 his family founded the Duff-Gordon sherry bodega in Spain.
In 2012 a box of documents concerning the Titanic sinking belonging to the Duff-Gordons was rediscovered at the London office of Veale Wasbrough Vizards, the legal firm that merged with Tweedies, which had represented the couple. In one letter Sir Cosmo complains: “There seems to be a feeling of resentment against any Englishman being saved … The whole pleasure of having been saved is quite spoilt by the venomous attacks they made at first in the papers. This, I suppose, was because I refused to see any reporter.”
The Asprey gold cigarette case will be sold at Hansons Auctioneers, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, during our Autumn Fine Art Auction, which takes place at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire, from October 10-16. To find out more, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
