Would you believe that a violin sold at auction for $1.7M or if it’s easier for £1.1M! It was a very special and historic violin, and one that was found in an attic in 2006.
How did it get there and why was it worth £1.1M.
To understand, you have to go back to April 15th 1912, when the owner of the violin, was playing in the orchestra on the RMS Titanic. Then it hit an iceberg!
As I am sure you know the orchestra continued to play until the ship went down. They say their final tune was “Nearer to My God to Thee”. It is claimed that Wallace’s final words were “Gentlemen, I bid you farewell”, we will never know if he did say them. But what we do have is his violin!
This is what then happened. Wallace Hartley put the violin into his leather bag, we assume to use it as a float while he was in the water. Unfortunately, the violin didn’t fit, the bow was too long. Even so when his body was found 10 days later, the water damaged violin was still strapped to him.
This is when the story gets even more interesting.
At the time Wallace Hartley was engaged to Maria Robinson who in 1910 gave him the violin with an engraving on it. The engraving read, “For Wallace on the occasion of our engagement from Maria.”
Therefore, due to the engraving, once recovered, they knew where to send the violin to, especially as Maria had asked for it should it be found. They sent it to her and she kept it.
When Maria Robinson died in 1939, her sister gave it to the Bridlington Salvation Army, telling them the story behind the instrument.
We don’t know what happened to it after that, but it appeared to pass between several people until it was found in a music student’s attic in 2006.
Once the violin had reappeared, they needed to make certain it was the correct one, which meant extensive authentication testing, including:
- Testing the saltwater deposits.
- Searching historical searches.
- Determining that it was the original violin.
- Validating the inscription “For Wallace, on the occasion of our engagement. From Maria.”
This last point was the clincher that showed it was Hartley’s violin and indeed that it was that gift from his fiancée, Maria Robinson. It could now go for auction. The violin reached the figure of 1.7M or in UK money £1.1M, which was the highest price paid for any Titanic memorabilia.
After the sale it was exhibited in Belfast, then went to the USA at the Titanic Branson and Titanic Pigeon Forge museums. It now lives in Tennessee, at a museum dedicated to the victims of the sinking, where it is on public view. However, as it has two large cracks on either side of the upper bout due to moisture damage, so it can no longer be played.
We are fascinated by the story of the RMS Titanic, which was advertised as unsinkable.
Therefore, we have published a school’s musical called The Ship of Dreams – The Voyage of the RMS Titanic telling the story of this tragic event.
Please go to https://www.history-portal.com/product/the-ship-of-dreams/History Musicals where you can read two pages of script and hear two of the songs. You can then download it and start rehearsing immediately.
I find the story of how much a simple violin raised just because it was on the RMS Titanic when it went down, fascinating.
Isn’t History Fun?
10 questions to discuss:
- Who owned the violin that sold for £1.1 million, and what was his connection to the RMS Titanic?
- How did the violin survive the sinking of the Titanic, and how was it identified as belonging to the violinist?
- What was the significance of the inscription on the violin, and how did it help to authenticate its origin?
- Why do you think the violin sold for such a high price at auction?
- What is the current status of the violin, and where is it on display?
- Beyond its monetary value, what historical significance does the violin hold?
- Do you think the violin’s story is primarily about the tragedy of the Titanic or about something else?
- Can you imagine what it might have been like for the violinist to play his instrument as the Titanic sank?
- What other artifacts from the Titanic have sold for significant sums at auction?
- How do stories like this one help us to remember and learn from historical events?
These questions encourage critical thinking and analysis by:
- Exploring the historical context and significance of the violin.
- Examining the factors that contributed to its high auction price.
- Considering the emotional and symbolic value of the artifact.
- Reflecting on the broader lessons learned from the Titanic disaster.
Learn more of this remarkable story:
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/05/18/found-in-an-attic-titanics-violin-sold-for-1-7-million-2/ https://mymodernmet.com/wallace-hartley-titanic-violin/
© Tony Dalton