9 Captivating Treasures Lost in the 'Titanic' Tragedy

As the Titanic descended to the depths of the North Atlantic during its maiden voyage, it carried with it not only tons of food and hundreds of mail sacks (containing 7 million letters) but also a diverse cargo—ranging from fine china by Tiffany & Co. to bundles of rubber. Additionally, passengers' personal belongings, such as invaluable manuscripts, unique artworks, precious jewelry, and film reels, were lost forever.

1. La Circassienne au Bain

Created by French painter Merry-Joseph Blondel, La Circassienne au Bain initially faced harsh criticism when displayed at the Paris Salon in 1814, as reported by The Daily Beast. (“This piece offers little to commend,” one critic remarked, “save for the evident skill of its creator.”) Over time, however, both the painting and Blondel gained acclaim—the artist later adorned prestigious sites like Versailles and the Louvre with his neoclassical artistry.

First-class passenger Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson, the son of a Swedish wood pulp industry pioneer, as noted by The New York Times, acquired La Circassienne shortly before boarding the Titanic en route to Washington, D.C. When the ship collided with the iceberg, Steffansson abandoned the painting and escaped by jumping from the ship’s edge into a collapsible lifeboat being lowered into the ocean. He later filed a $100,000 claim for the lost artwork, making La Circassienne au Bain the most valuable item lost in the disaster (though he did not receive the full amount he sought).

For decades, information about the painting was scarce—there were few descriptions and only one engraving created five years after its debut. In the 2010s, an artist under the pseudonym John Parker meticulously recreated the piece based on extensive research. This reproduction sold at auction in 2016 for £2700 (approximately $3500 today). 

2. A Handwritten Short Story by Joseph Conrad

In 1912, Joseph Conrad, the author of Heart of Darkness, sold his handwritten manuscript of the story “Karain: A Memory” from his collection Tales of Unrest to collector John Quinn. The manuscript was aboard the Titanic when it sank, and since Conrad had not insured it, he lost £40. As noted in Frances Wilson’s How to Survive the Titanic or The Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay, Conrad lamented, “I depended on that sum.” He later penned essays critiquing the disaster, targeting figures like Ismay, the shipbuilders, inquiry witnesses, and the press. 

3. Over 100 Reels of Film

Filmmaker William H. Harbeck, a second-class passenger on the Titanic, traveled with Henriette Yvois, a French model he falsely claimed was his wife. He carried 110,000 feet of film, more than 100 reels, multiple cameras, and, as reported by Moving Picture News, a $10,000 contract with the White Star Line to document the ship’s maiden voyage to America.

Harbeck had previously filmed Alaska, British Columbia, post-earthquake San Francisco in 1906, and Yellowstone National Park. During his European travels in early 1912, he not only captured footage but also sold copies of his work. As mentioned in Titanic and Silent Cinema, he might have recorded the Titanic’s near-collision with another ship in Southampton. A passenger recalled seeing “a young American cinematographer, who, with his wife, eagerly filmed the incident, turning his camera handle with visible delight.”

Harbeck may have been filming during the sinking, but this remains uncertain. All his reels were lost with the ship, and he perished in the disaster. (His body was recovered, but it’s unclear if Yvois’s was found.) His actual wife, Catherine, later filed a $55,000 claim for the lost footage. 

Strangely, a woman who identified herself as Brownie Harbeck attempted to claim William’s belongings, which had already been returned to Catherine. The true identity of Brownie was never uncovered.

4. Manuscripts by Jacques and May Futrelle

On the eve of their Titanic voyage, Jacques and Lily May Futrelle from Massachusetts stayed awake through the night—first celebrating Jacques’s birthday until 3 a.m., then preparing for their journey. May later reflected, “Had my husband been drunk that night, he might have missed the ship and still be alive. But he rarely drank.” 

Both Futrelles were authors: May had released her debut novel, Secretary of Frivolous Affairs, in 1911, while Jacques, a former journalist, transitioned to fiction, writing novels and over 40 mystery stories starring detective F. S. X. Van Dusen, known as “The Thinking Machine,” starting in 1905. (One story was a joint effort with his wife.) As reported by Mystery Scene magazine, in early 1912, the couple left their children with grandparents and “spent several weeks in Europe, where Jacques wrote articles, met publishers, and promoted his work to European audiences.” He even visited Scotland Yard to gather insights on criminal investigations. They cut their trip short to return to their children. 

On the night of the disaster, Jacques ensured May boarded one of the final lifeboats, assuring her he would follow shortly. This promise went unfulfilled, as Jacques perished with the Titanic, and his body was never recovered. May later returned to Georgia and filed a $300,000 claim for her husband’s life, along with claims for lost belongings, including $600 for two of her manuscripts and $3000 for Jacques’s “manuscript books, book plans, &tc.,” as noted by The New York Times. 

5. A 1912 Renault Type CB Coupé de Ville 

Moviegoers familiar with Titanic might be intrigued to learn that the car where Jack and Rose’s romance blossomed was an actual piece of cargo on the ship—the sole automobile known to have been aboard (though it was stored in a cargo container, not displayed openly as depicted by James Cameron). William Carter, a car enthusiast from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, who already owned two Mercedes, purchased the Coupé de Ville in Europe. Initially planning to return home on the Olympic, Carter and his family, along with their servants and two dogs, switched to the Titanic. After ensuring his wife and children were safely on a lifeboat, Carter boarded Lifeboat C alongside White Star chairman J. Bruce Ismay, later stating, “Mr. Ismay and I, along with several officers, called out repeatedly, ‘Are there any more women?’ Receiving no response, we boarded the lifeboat. Mr. Ismay only entered after confirming no women remained on deck.” Carter survived and filed a $5000 claim for his lost car and his dogs, who also perished.

6. A Gem-Encrusted Edition of the Rubáiyyát

In 1909, British bookbinders Sangorski & Sutcliffe, renowned for their intricate designs, began crafting a lavish rebinding of Edward FitzGerald’s translation of Omar Khayyam’s Rubáiyyát. As bookseller Ben Maggs explained in an interview with the Charles Dickens Museum, the project was commissioned by a Piccadilly bookshop aiming to create “the most opulent and valuable binding ever produced.” The result was extraordinary: bound in Moroccan leather, it featured three gold-embroidered peacocks, an inlaid ud (a musical instrument) in gold and ivory on the cover, and a skull on the back. According to Regency Antique Books, the cover was adorned with “over 1000 emeralds, rubies, amethysts, and topazes, each set in gold.” Dubbed “The Great Omar,” the book took two years to complete and came in a custom oak case.

Sotheby's auctioned the book in late March 1912. Despite a reserve price of £1000, it sold for just £405 (approximately $2000) to an American buyer. As Maggs recounted, the buyer “booked it on the next grandest ship available—unfortunately, that ship was the Titanic.” Thus, the most extravagant book binding in history now rests at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Using the original designs, Sangorski & Sutcliffe recreated the book, a six-year endeavor. This replica was stored in a London bank vault, which was later destroyed during the Blitz. A third version was crafted and is now housed at the British Library, though, as Maggs observes, “it doesn’t quite match the grandeur of the original.”

7. A 1598 Edition of Francis Bacon's Essays

Legend has it that as the Titanic sank, first-class passenger and rare book collector Harry Elkins Widener was about to board a lifeboat when he recalled leaving the 1598 edition of Francis Bacon’s Essays, which he had bought during his travels, in his cabin. He dashed back to retrieve it. Another account suggests Widener carried the book in his pocket, telling his mother, “Little Bacon comes with me!” While his other purchases were shipped separately, the Essays—nicknamed “Little Bacon” due to its compact size, akin to a baseball card—was deemed too precious to send by mail.

Whether the “Little Bacon” was in Widener’s pocket that night remains uncertain. What is known is that the 27-year-old Widener secured a place for his mother on a lifeboat but chose not to join her, telling a friend, “I’ll stay with the ship and take my chances.” Both Widener and Bacon’s Essays were lost with the Titanic, and his body was never found.

8. A Signed Photograph of Giuseppe Garibaldi

The New York Times listed an item owned by second-class passenger Emilio Portaluppi, a stonemason from Milford, New Hampshire, under the heading “Unusual Property Claims”: “Among his possessions was a photograph of Garibaldi, personally signed when presented to Portaluppi’s grandfather. He values it at $3000.” The Garibaldi referred to was Giuseppe Garibaldi, a celebrated Italian military leader. 

Portaluppi survived the disaster, though his escape was nothing short of miraculous. He was asleep in his cabin when the Titanic struck the iceberg. After sensing trouble, he dressed and—either by leaping into a lowering lifeboat, tripping, or jumping overboard—found himself in the freezing water. He clung to an ice floe for hours before being rescued by a returning lifeboat. 

9. A Pink Diamond

The 705 survivors of the Titanic submitted insurance claims for lost belongings amounting to nearly $1.4 million. The largest individual claim came from Charlotte Cardeza, a first-class passenger from Germantown, Pennsylvania, who occupied one of the ship’s “millionaire’s suites”—the most spacious and luxurious accommodations available. Traveling with 14 trunks, her 21-page claim totaled $177,352.75 and listed items ranging from a $1.75 bar of soap to 84 pairs of gloves, 33 pairs of shoes, a $13,000 diamond necklace, and a “6 7/16-carat pink diamond from Tiffany, New York,” valued at $20,000 (over $573,000 today).