LONDON: A rare photograph of the Titanic, likely taken the day before it set sail on its fateful maiden voyage, is set to fetch about 8,000 pounds as it goes under the hammer in the UK. Along with the photograph, a gold medal awarded to an officer who rescued 705 people when the ship sank in 1912 will also be auctioned.
The sepia image, which measuring 18x11 inches, is said to have been taken on April 9, 1912 at Titanic's berth in the UK. The photograph, which will be auctioned on April 22, has a pre-sale estimate of 5,000 to 8,000 pounds. "The clarity and detail are astonishing. It's truly incredible and certainly the most detailed Titanic photograph I have seen," said Andrew Aldridge, from the UK-based auction house Henry Aldridge and Son.
The image shows rappelling window cleaners and even a workman on a gantry touching up the paint work on Titanic’s hull, Aldridge said. Along with the photograph, an extremely rare gold medal awarded to Horace John Dean who rescued 705 people from the sinking Titanic is also being auctioned. "Fourteen gold medals were awarded to the most senior crew members and only a handful have ever been sold, to our knowledge, at auction and none from such a senior Officer," Aldridge was quoted as saying by the 'Fox News'.
The medal has a pre-sale estimate of 25,000 to 30,000 pounds. The photograph was purchased with other marine-related images in a Paris flea market over 40 years ago, according to auction house Henry Aldridge and Son. The photo was almost certainly captured on a glass-plate camera, according to Aldridge. An early camera technology, glass-plate devices capture images by exposing thin glass plates to light.