Only the menu that the Titanic's first-class passengers ate on the fateful night of April 15, 1912, when the ship sank after colliding with an iceberg on its way between Southampton and New York, was known. Surely, that day few put a spoonful in their mouths, because they were focused on finding a space in the lifeboats.
We now also know what was served in first class in the days before the Titanic sank: oysters, salmon, lamb or duck, according to a new recovered document, which will be auctioned for a fortune. The auction house has set a starting price of 60,000 pounds sterling, about 68,000 euros at the exchange rate.
This menu, which was recovered from the body of a Titanic victim, was for the first-class restaurant for the night of April 11, 1912, four days before the shipwreck, according to Henry Aldridge.
That day the ship had just set sail from its last port of call in Queenstown (Cobh, Ireland) and the diners were able to enjoy a feast consisting of various types of seafood, squab a la Godard, lamb, Tournedó de veal a la Victoria, royal duck and apricot bourdaloue.
The Titanic document has been recovered in acceptable condition, although with some watermarks. The menu has an embossed White Star Line red burgee and would have originally featured gold lettering representing the initials OSNC (Ocean Steamship Navigation Company) along with the letters R.M.S. Titanic.
It is believed to have belonged to a victim, historian Len Stephenson. The Scot died in 2017 and his daughter Mary Anita recently found the menu when she went through his stored belongings, the auction house added.
"About six months ago, his daughter and son-in-law, Allen, felt it was time to go through their belongings. While doing so, they found this menu in an old photo album," explains Andrew Aldridge.
The person in charge also highlights the document, which "illustrates the glamor and opulent first-class culinary delights": "'There are a few menus for April 14, but you simply don't see menus for April 11. Most of them "They would have gone down with the ship."
