The 'Unsinkable Ship' setting sail for
her fateful maiden voyage a century ago is an image those who waved her
off will never forget.
But while the enduring memory of the Titanic is of the famous liner sinking into the North Atlantic, one man captured a rare snapshot of the moment she set off on her one and only journey.
Sailing smoothly through the waves just off Southampton, this 100-year-old photograph shows the doomed boat taking to the icy seas on April 10th, 1912.
It was captured by then 15-year-old Elliot Brown, who used the picturesque scene of his uncle's sea-facing back garden on the Isle of Wight to photograph the giant vessel as it loomed into view off the south coast.
Mr Brown's uncle's house on the
Isle of Wight offered spectacular views of ships sailing from
Southampton out towards the English Channel, with the teenager using a
brownie box camera to immortalise the moment.
The young Mr Brown, a
keen amateur photographer, took a picture and stowed the image away into
his album along with pictures of his friends and family, unaware of
just how significant his quickly-taken photograph would later become.
When disaster struck and the 882ft Titanic plunged into the North Atlantic Ocean four days after Mr Brown's picture, the teenager knew he had captured an iconic moment, but nonetheless opted to keep his memento safe in the family album.
The
photograph remained in his possession his entire life as Mr Brown
married, had children, and established himself as a respected GP in
Birmingham.
When his second wife Faith was moved into an old people's home, however, his children began clearing possessions from Elliot and Faith's bungalow in Galmpton, Devon.
It was then they came across the album and its rare contents belonging to their father, who died in 1967 aged 70.
Had they not saved the rare image in the album, the momentous picture could have been lost forever.
Mr
Brown's son Bruce found the picture, which had a noticeable fold down
the middle and was stuck in the album with a handwritten caption: 'RMS
'Titanic': Maiden Voyage'.
Bruce has since had the iconic photograph digitally restored in time for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking, but still plans to keep the picture in the family.
The 77-year-old retired meetings manager, from Henley-on-Thames, said: 'When I was in my mid-20s he happened to tell me in passing that he had taken a picture of the Titanic as she came out of Southampton water.
'I remember it stuck in my mind when he told me at the time, and it has been a subject which has fascinated a lot of people ever since.
'He realised how significant a picture it was some time later, but decided to keep it in his album.
'Like everyone else the Titanic had a big impact on him and he was shocked by what happened.
'My father was quite a religious man and was quite moved by the fact that the band on the Titanic apparently played 'Abide With Me' before it went down.'
Describing the moment he found the photo his father had told him about decades earlier, grandfather Bruce added: 'It was a split second decision whether to keep the album as it was his and I didn't know anyone else in the pictures, but I'm not glad I did.'
Pete Boswell, from Warwickshire-based Photo Legacy, who restored the photo, said: 'It has been a fantastic experience and a privelege to work on a picture like this one.
'When people find pictures like this one it is often a journey of discovery, and this image is no different.'
Bruce Brown revealed that he discovered the photo album in his late father's home in Devon in around 1985, but kept hold of it since then and has only recently had it digitally restored.
But while the enduring memory of the Titanic is of the famous liner sinking into the North Atlantic, one man captured a rare snapshot of the moment she set off on her one and only journey.
Sailing smoothly through the waves just off Southampton, this 100-year-old photograph shows the doomed boat taking to the icy seas on April 10th, 1912.
It was captured by then 15-year-old Elliot Brown, who used the picturesque scene of his uncle's sea-facing back garden on the Isle of Wight to photograph the giant vessel as it loomed into view off the south coast.
 |
| Iconic: A 15-year-old Elliot Brown took this picture of the Titanic as it left Southampton on its first and only voyage |
 |
| Respected: Elliot Brown, pictured here as a young man in photographs from the same album as the Titanic picture, maintained an interest in photography but went on to become a GP in Birmingham. |
When disaster struck and the 882ft Titanic plunged into the North Atlantic Ocean four days after Mr Brown's picture, the teenager knew he had captured an iconic moment, but nonetheless opted to keep his memento safe in the family album.
When his second wife Faith was moved into an old people's home, however, his children began clearing possessions from Elliot and Faith's bungalow in Galmpton, Devon.
It was then they came across the album and its rare contents belonging to their father, who died in 1967 aged 70.
Had they not saved the rare image in the album, the momentous picture could have been lost forever.
Mr
Brown's son Bruce found the picture, which had a noticeable fold down
the middle and was stuck in the album with a handwritten caption: 'RMS
'Titanic': Maiden Voyage'.Bruce has since had the iconic photograph digitally restored in time for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking, but still plans to keep the picture in the family.
The 77-year-old retired meetings manager, from Henley-on-Thames, said: 'When I was in my mid-20s he happened to tell me in passing that he had taken a picture of the Titanic as she came out of Southampton water.
'I remember it stuck in my mind when he told me at the time, and it has been a subject which has fascinated a lot of people ever since.
'He realised how significant a picture it was some time later, but decided to keep it in his album.
'Like everyone else the Titanic had a big impact on him and he was shocked by what happened.
'My father was quite a religious man and was quite moved by the fact that the band on the Titanic apparently played 'Abide With Me' before it went down.'
Describing the moment he found the photo his father had told him about decades earlier, grandfather Bruce added: 'It was a split second decision whether to keep the album as it was his and I didn't know anyone else in the pictures, but I'm not glad I did.'
Century-old: The original image taken by Elliot
Brown has a fold down the middle next to the caption: 'RMS Titanic -
Maiden Voyage'
First and only journey: A route map of the route taken by the Titanic on its doomed maiden voyage
Pete Boswell, from Warwickshire-based Photo Legacy, who restored the photo, said: 'It has been a fantastic experience and a privelege to work on a picture like this one.
'When people find pictures like this one it is often a journey of discovery, and this image is no different.'
Bruce Brown revealed that he discovered the photo album in his late father's home in Devon in around 1985, but kept hold of it since then and has only recently had it digitally restored.
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