In early April 2024, an X account posted two photos ( archived ) the user claimed showed the first- and third-class menus of the Titanic for the day the ship struck an iceberg.
"Titanic 1st class menu vs 3rd class menu from April 14, 1912, the day before the Titanic sank," the X post read.
The image on the left showed a selection of — for the time — gourmet dishes, such as fillets of brill and salmon mayonnaise, while the image on the right showed more humble choices, such as oatmeal porridge and roast beef with brown gravy.
Since being posted, the pictures had been viewed more than 1.2 million times, and similar iterations have appeared elsewhere on X in July and Facebook in September .
The "unsinkable" Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912. Nearly three hours later, the ship slipped beneath the sea surface , ultimately resulting in the deaths of an estimated 1,500 passengers and crew.
Relics from the tragedy have since been sold to collectors at price tags totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars and have struck the curiosities of Titanic enthusiasts alike, including the first- and third-class menus said to have showcased the ship's final meals.
Experts said such menus did survive the wreckage. However, in the decades after the ship's sinking, numerous reproductions have surfaced and been passed off — intentionally or accidentally — as authentic.
Therefore, Titanic historians said it wouldn't be possible to prove whether the menus in the photos were genuine or reproductions without seeing them in person.
Experts' Thought on the 1st-Class Menu
Karen Kamuda, president of the Titanic Historical Society , believed the photo of the first-class menu was a replica known as the "Rosemead menu," which was described in a March 2002 article published by the society ( archived ).
According to that article, in April 1962, the city of Rosemead, California, hosted an event to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic 50 years earlier by replicating the same meal served on the ship's fateful final night. Reproductions of the menu from that night were given to those in attendance.
After the "Titanic Night to Remember" event, some of the extra menus were distributed to society members, and in the decades since they have been passed off as authentic menus.
Below is an example of the "Rosemead menu," identified by the thin black line at the bottom of the page that is not shown on the authentic first-class menu. Below this line was an advertisement for the event sponsor, First City Bank.
(Courtesy of the Titanic Historical Society)
In September 2024, Christie's auction house sold what it said to be the "only 14 April luncheon example" the group has "traced at auction."
As can be seen, there was no thin black line printed on the authentic menu.
(Christie's Auction House)
Craig Sopin of the Titanic International Society said the photos posted on X would "need to be inspected to determine if it is an image of the actual menu." Sopin added that he helped authenticate a violin that was played on the Titanic , a process he said "took years."
The Titanic was part of the British shipping fleet, the White Star Line, which was known for its elegance and attention to detail. According to the Titanic Historical Society , first-class menus on White Star Line ships featured edges of 22-karat gold. Menus were printed daily on postcard-sized pieces of paper with type set by hand, meaning letter spacing varied. Impressions made from the pressed type would have been felt, not smooth to the touch like printed paper today.
(National Museum of American History)
Thermography was also used to print letterheads on White Star Line documents. This involves a chemical process that raises images by using heat or infrared light. An image is first printed by letterpress with an adhesive ink, which is then coated in a resin that contains pigment and metallic paper. White Star Line ships used red and gold for their first-class menus.
"Thermographic printing was stopped many years ago likely the 1930s because it was toxic and dangerous," Kamuda told Snopes. "The postcard-size menus for all classes were especially made that size so people could put them in their pocket or purse to show people back home the fine food served on the White Star Line ships."
Kamuda added that her husband, Ed Kamuda, sent the Rosemead menus to the group in the 1960s as "a gift to members worldwide."
The menu was largely brought to the world during a 1998 airing of PBS' Antique Roadshow , in which Rudy Franchi of Heritage Auctions in Dallas appraised a supposed menu at a value of between $75,000 and $100,000 (roughly between $144,000 and $193,000 in 2024).
However, some experts believed the version shown in the PBS footage was actually a copy of the Rosemead menu. For example, it was printed on a standard-size piece of paper and not postcard-size. There was also a quotation mark missing at the end of "TITANIC" printed at the top right-hand side. Furthermore, the letterheads did not appear to be raised as would have been the case in an original.
Experts' Thought on the 3rd-Class Menu
Titanic Historical Society also hosted an authentic menu from the ship, shown below on the left, which resembled the "third-class" menu shared on social media, shown below on the right.
(Titanic Historical Society/X)
The society described the menu (above on the left) on its website as:
The menu belonged to Thomas Theobald and his is one of the more poignant stories of the Titanic disaster. Theobald was travelling with Mr and Mrs Goldsmith and their nine year old son, Frank, also from Strood Kent sailing for a new life in Detroit Michigan. When the men were asked to wait while the women and childen got into the lifeboats Mr Goldsmith and Mr Theobald stayed back. Mr Theobald took off his wedding ring and gave it to Mrs Goldsmith who put it on her finger next to her own ring and requested If I don't see you in New York will you see that my wife gets this? Mr Theobalds body was recovered and his personal effects including this menu were given to his family who later gave them to Frank Goldsmith who donated his collection to The Titanic Historical Society. Mr Goldsmiths autobiography Echoes in the Night recalls these events in detail.
According to the society , the menu on the right was listed in Sotheby's Marine Sale Catalogue for Dec. 2, 2003 (page 81, lot 201). It was reportedly offered by descendants of Gretchen Longly, who likely received the replica after the commemorative event in the 1960s. The menu was reportedly withdrawn from the sale after the Titanic Historical Society contacted the group.
In sum, experts said the menus could not be authenticated based on a digital photograph alone, therefore such a process would need to be carried out in person. In fact, one expert believed the menus shared in the X post could have been replicas printed and distributed in the 1960s. Therefore, it was not possible to rate their authenticity.
Sources:
"About Our Trustees." Titanic International Society, 14 Feb. 2019, https://titanicinternationalsociety.org/trustees-2/ .
Antiques Roadshow | Appraisal: 1912 Titanic Luncheon Menu | Season 16 | Episode 24 | PBS. www.pbs.org, https://www.pbs.org/video/antiques-roadshow-appraisal-1912-titanic-luncheon-menu/ . Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Berr, Jonathan. Titanic Artifacts Valued at $200M Head for Auction - CBS News. 19 Sept. 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/titanic-artifacts-valued-at-200m-head-for-auction/ .
FIRST CLASS LUNCHEON MENU, R.M.S. TITANIC, 14 APRIL 1912 | Christie's. https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6495024 . Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
The Iceberg That Sank Titanic. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_1416178#:~:text=Description%20(Brief):,of%20the%20adjacent%20watertight%20compartments . Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
THSAdmin. "Titanic Menu From Third Class." Titanic Historical Society, Inc., 30 Nov. 2017, https://titanichistoricalsociety.org/titanic-menu/ .
Titanic & Maritime Memorabilia - Buy & Sell at Auction | Henry Aldridge Auctioneers. https://www.henryaldridge.com/departments/titanic-maritime/ . Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
"Titanic Historical Society, Inc. | Established 1963 | THS." Titanic Historical Society, Inc., https://titanichistoricalsociety.org/ . Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
"Titanic International Society." Titanic International Society, https://titanicinternationalsociety.org/ . Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
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