ROBERT TAYLOR Titanic Last Farewell Survivor MILLVINA DEAN Signed VERY RARE

  
"TITANIC - LAST FAREWELL" The Centenary Edition by aviation artist Robert Taylor is a signed and numbered limited edition print from an edition limited to only 135 prints released in 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of Titanic's fateful voyage. This edition is personally signed by Titanic survivor MILLVINA DEAN.

The bands played, the streamers flew and the crowds cheered; their loud'hurrahs' filling the air as the world's largest liner slipped gently away from the White Star berth at Southampton. The fateful maiden voyage to New York had begun. It was a bitterly cold, crystal-clear night and the sea was flat and calm. In the crow's nest of RMS Titanic, four days out from Southampton, two vigilant lookouts shivered uncomfortably, the warmth of their breath steaming in the freezing air.

With warnings of ice ahead they were both tense and alert, they had to be, especially as no-one had seen fit to issue them with binoculars. And then, at 11.40pm, they saw it dead ahead - an iceberg. With adrenalin pumping through their veins they rang the warning bell and hailed the bridge.

As the First Officer urgently ordered'hard-a-starboard' and put the engines into reverse, thirty-seven seconds slowly passed. Imperceptibly the Titanic began to turn, but it was too late. An ominous shudder ran through Titanic. But now six were punctured and filling fast, Titanic was sinking. In the tradition of the sea it would be a case of'women and children first'. With tearful, heart-wrenching good-byes husbands said farewell to their families and stood bravely to await their fate, knowing their own chance of survival was probably zero. Over 1500 passengers and crew died with her. A few days earlier, however, the scene had been so different. The bands had played, the streamers flew and the crowds had cheered as the world's newest and largest liner slipped away from the White Star berth at Southampton for her maiden voyage to New York. RMS Titanic was a majestic sight as she sailed down Southampton Water and into the Solent accompanied by a flotilla of all shapes and sizes.

As some of the world's wealthiest people promenade on the deck to admire the occasion, others sipped their cocktails in opulent staterooms. The White Star had spared no expense for their important first-class passengers. This is the moment that Robert Taylor has chosen for his magnificent TITANIC - LAST FAREWELL. In addition to the artist this print is individually signed in pencil by Titanic survivor MILLVINA DEAN during her lifetime.

This mint condition print has never been framed and, like all of our prints, has been stored flat. It measures 35 x 22 and comes with a descriptive Certificate of Authenticity. GOOD LUCK AND THANKS FOR LOOKING!