Leontine Pauline Aubart

[Martin Williams]

Whilst rummaging around on-line yesterday, I hit upon what appears to be René Harris's first-hand account of the sinking, as told to Walter Lord around 1964, and now in the collection of Charles Pellegrino. In it, Mrs Harris apparently writes that upon boarding the 'Carpathia':

'...I was led to a stateroom that had been given to me by an artist and his wife. This I shared with a French girl — a beautiful woman who didn’t know one word of English. I learned from her that she was being brought to this country by one of our outstanding financiers who was one of the lost ones. It would not be fair to his family to mention his name, although his wife has long since passed on, but his children and grandchildren are important enough to be mentioned occasionally in society columns.'

This can only be Leontine Aubart and I had previously had no idea that she had shared a room with Mrs Harris. The artist in question was, of course, the noted American Impressionist Colin Campbell Cooper, who later produced two wonderful paintings of the rescue. However - reading a little further, I do notice that other elements of Mrs Harris's account do not ring true. Was she likely to have been in error? Was Lord? Or was Pellegrino? It is an interesting question to consider, since it makes one wonder how many other passengers were aware of Benjamin Guggenheim's liaison with 'Madame' Aubart, either at the time or later. One can't imagine that it would have been widely advertised - although, in her shock and grief after the sinking, Leontine apparently 'spilled the beans' to her room-mate.

 

[George L. Lorton]

Well if she didn't know any English and after being through something like a ship sinking Leotine might of been scared. Guggenheim, her provider was dead and what ever dreams she had were dead with him. How was she going to get money to go back to France? Did she even want to go back to France or did she have to back because she didn't know English or had no money. All this might of been going through her mind. So Leontine Aubart probably was in shock and scared plus grieving.

 

[Martin Williams]

I'd agree with you, George, that Leontine was most likely in bits in the immediate aftermath of the sinking. No matter what her real feelings for Guggenheim, she had just undergone an extremely harrowing ordeal. Her subsequent sizeable claim for damages against the White Star Line (detailed on another thread, since archived) mentions that she 'was exposed to the elements improperly and scantily clad and was thereby caused serious and permanent personal injuries...was made sick, sore, lame, and disabled by reason of such exposure...(that she) suffered and still suffers great mental pain and anguish and distress...(and that she was) impaired in her senses and faculties'. Delivering her coup de grace, she also contends that 'her health and constitution are shattered' and that 'her nervous system is permanently affected'. Leontine might well have exaggerated her condition to gain maximum compensation but her maid, Emma Sagesser, certainly had to support her young mistress, who apparently suffered a near-complete breakdown once aboard the 'Carpathia'. In such a state, one can easily imagine that Leontine could have told René Harris anything.

Lastly, it is worth noting that, when the time came for her to sail back to France aboard the 'Adriatic' in early May, poor Leontine was so flustered and upset that she left both her steamer and train tickets behind her in New York.

 

[George L. Lorton]

quote:

Lastly, it is worth noting that, when the time came for her to sail back to France aboard the 'Adriatic' in early May, poor Leontine was so flustered and upset that she left both her steamer and train tickets behind her in New York.

I bet she wanted to stay in America but I guess she couldn't so I could see her being very upset indeed.​

 

[Janicole]

Everyone talks about how beautiful this woman was, but the picture on ET shows an average/ more homely looking woman then a beautiful one. I have noticed that the survivors (especially the women) aged rather quickly (more then likely from the haunting guilt and stress of that night) so that might be the case with her. Does anyone have a picture of her around 1912?

 

[Martin Williams]

I wouldn't really say 'average' - when I look at the small photograph featured on Leontine's ET profile page, I derive a sense of a woman of some charm and vitality. Although, as you say, it is difficult to tell for sure. Randy Bryan Bigham, who still occasionally posts here, revealed that he once stumbled across a formal 'studio' portrait of Aubart in one of the stage magazines of the period - but he neglected to take the reference. Maybe it will turn up again some day. I certainly hope so.

As you'll see from my earlier contributions to this thread, Leontine Aubart is a passenger who particularly fascinates me: not only because of her nationality (French, as opposed to English, Canadian or American) but because of the...interesting...life-style choice she made, which accounted for her presence aboard the Titanic in the first place. Physically, she is usually described as blonde and very petite - not dark, as she appeared in James Cameron's film (besides which, every other woman at the table would have been personally affronted, had Guggenheim even attempted to introduce his mistress to them!) There is some suggestion that Leontine married rather well in later life - on another thread, a board member (I can't recall who) stated that he had seen a photograph of an elderly Aubart, taken at a family wedding, years after the events of April, 1912. But hard biographical information is very scanty and I would always like to find out more about her.

 

[Martin Williams]

When considering Leontine Aubart's circumstances, post-Titanic, it is perhaps worth remembering that the men of the Guggenheim family had a fairly remarkable habit of making generous financial provision for their mistresses (in the form of investments, trust funds and so forth) once they had gone their separate ways. Well into the 1960s, Benjamin's daughter, Peggy Guggenheim, was occasionally surprised to receive an unexpected windfall when one of her father's discarded lovers died and the income of the trust reverted to her, according to the terms by which it had originally been established.

Possibly, then, Leontine's brief liaison with Benjamin provided her with sufficient means to maintain a comfortable lifestyle into her old age. I certainly like to think so.

 

[Mike Poirier]

Here's a brief 1912 account

I had in my cabin jewels worth 4,000 (GPB) as well as many trunks of dresses and hats. One does not come from Paris and buy one's clothes in America. That is understood, is it not?

Nothing could I take with me; nothing at all. Just as we were, in our night clothes, Marie (Emma?) and I went on deck where the lifebelts were put around us. One the deck there was no commotion; none at all. Oh these English! How brave, how calm, how beautiful! I, who am patriotic french woman say that never can I forget that group of Englishmen- every one of them a perfect gentleman- calmly puffing cigarettes and cigars and watching the women and children being placed in the boats.

So I have seen them in Monte Carlo. It was the phlegmatic Englishman in his most sublime form. Marie got into the lifeboat and then I. We were the last women to leave the ship.

My last night of the upper decks was still a group of those Englishmen, still with cigarettes in mouth, facing the death so bravely that it was all the more terrible.

 

[Jokonymous123]

At the moment I am researching Léontine Pauline Aubart but I have virtually no information on her or her family so anything anyone could add would be great.

Any help would be most appreciated,

Marie Elisabeth Aubart - Mother
Sylvain Jacques Augustin Aubart - Father
Elise Charlotte Vencon - Sister
Benjamin Guggenheim - Partner