The sinking of the Titanic endures in the cultural memory, even as we drift further away from the tragedy. And now, a letter linked to the original voyage that apparently influenced the movie went to auction for $66,000.
We live in a world where people pay a fortune for a Superman comic if it has some history attached to it, so a piece of Titanic trivia going on sale is a significant moment for people who can afford such things. Let’s not forget that some people were even willing to put their lives on the line if it meant seeing the wreck.
The New York Post reports that the never-before-seen letter was written by Ernest Tomlin, 21. Tomlin was a third-class passenger who boarded the ship from Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912. Before he left his home to board the ship — which would ultimately take his life alongside the 1,500 who died when it hit an iceberg — Tomlin left his family a letter.
In the letter, Tomlin grieved the end of a recent relationship. He wrote to his family, “Dearest Mother and all. Do not tell anybody, but I showed up to have a good cry 24 hours ago, which would give me back my Rose, but crying will not do that, will it?” For Titanic romantics, this is strikingly similar to the movie, since Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack was also a third-class passenger with a short-lived, star-crossed relationship with Rose — played by Academy Award–winning actress Kate Winslet.
Among the archived possessions were a red leather diary and a pencil, both of which belonged to Tomlin. Enthusiasts see this as one of the most complete collections that can be traced back to the tragedy. The information in the diary is breathtakingly vast. Tomlin wrote about why he was moving to Iowa and how he wanted to focus on his faith by joining the Bible College of Drake University.
Letters going viral for revealing the interior lives of people from the past is, strangely, nothing new. People move into houses and find letters and other traces of the interior lives of those who once occupied the same spaces, and that is almost expected. But the fact that this letter is more than 100 years old gives it just a little more meaning. People from all corners of the world — rich or poor — have always had their own struggles, ambitions, and dreams. It’s what makes us human.
The more things change, the more they remain the same. The Titanic is still at the bottom of the ocean. It still inspires wealthy people to spend on its memory in one form or another. James Cameron is still breaking box office records. And with Leonardo DiCaprio’s recent admission to Jennifer Lawrence that he’s never actually seen his biggest movie, we know that DiCaprio still wants nothing more to do with Titanic.
But a ship curated for the wealthiest people in the world should be best remembered for its indigent passengers.
Published: Jan 9, 2026 08:50 am