Titanic historian Bill Sauder describes his experience with perfume vials recovered from the wreck.
“The one thing I’ll remember about the Titanic artifacts ‘til the day I die is when the Saalfeld perfume vials came up. When you recover stuff from the titanic, it’s wet, it’s rusty, and it’s rotten, and the smell that comes off it is perfectly alien, perfectly fetid, you know it’s a kind of death you have never experienced. And so the lab is kind of unpleasant, and all of a sudden somebody opens up this satchel - this leather satchel, and out comes the fragrance of heaven. It’s all these flowers and fruity flavors, and it’s delicious. It’s the most wonderful thing you’ve ever had. It was just a complete overwhelming experience. It was almost like the fragrance of heaven kind of goes through the room. Instead of being surrounded by all these dead things, for those few minutes… the ship was alive again.”
Shadows of the Titanic
A blog dedicated to RMS Titanic, her passengers & crew, and the stories she still tells today. We will occasionally write our own articles & research, & we welcome Asks & Submissions as well! Enjoy our biography project where we are writing detailed profiles of each passenger and crew member!
This blog was created by Tanya, a History & Maritime Studies major, minor in Archaeology and pursuing a wreck-diving certification with her degree. She is a member of the Titanic Historical Society and dreams of a career in preserving underwater artifacts, specifically from Titanic, and opening her own museum & historical society in New York.
Jeni is co-owner of this blog. She is an Anthropology and History major, who does tours in the New York metro area and helps with research. She also focuses on fashions throughout history and social history.
Although this blog mainly focuses on Titanic, other things ship-related in history will be posted.
