You may not have heard of Bernice Palmer, but you will certainly recognise her photographs. Bernice was just 19 years old and travelling to Europe aboard the Carpathia with her mother when it came to the rescue of the Titanic survivors. Bernice had recently been gifted a box Brownie camera, and used it to take a number of candid photographs of the Titanic survivors on deck, as well a dramatic views of the ice field including a huge iceberg.

When they arrived in New York Bernice was persuaded to part with her undeveloped film by a wily photo agency for a meagre $25 (some sources say just $10!); the pictures became famous as they were syndicated around the world. Feeling they had been exploited, Bernice and her father would later take action to get the images returned and they were eventually donated to the Smithsonian Institution.

Read more about Bernice Palmer and the story of her famous photographs.

Photo Credits: Smithsonian Institution; Los Angeles Times; Oklahoma News; Tampa Bay Times