Dorothy Annan was born on July 4, 1890 in New York, the first and only child of Eduard Annan Jr and Elizabeth Maud Earle. Unfortunately, her parents passed away very soon: her mother passed away when Dorothy was months old and her father died leaving Dorothy only 3 years old. Because of this, she was raised by her paternal aunt Charlotte S. Annan in Manhattan.
On January 8, 1912, Dorothy married George Achilles Harder in New York. After a 3-month honeymoon in Europe, the two boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg as First Class passengers. They had bought a ticket for cabin E-50, which cost £55, 8s, 10d.
On the night of the sinking, April 14-15, 1912, Dorothy and George were in her cabin when they heard the crash. Mr. George Achilles went out to investigate and then turned to his cabin, the two of them put on their life jackets and climbed to the top of the boat. Fortunately, Dorothy and George survived the disaster and were rescued in lifeboat 5. Mrs. Dorothy only took her fur coat, a button for her shoes, and a bottle of Brandy with her while leaving the ship.
Following the rescue of Dorothy and George Achilles Harder, the couple was the subject of a well-known photograph taken aboard the RMS Carpathia, where she is seen in conversation with Mrs. Sarah Maybell Beckwith. Arriving in New York, Dorothy and George settled in Manhattan and had 2 daughters: Dorothy (born 1913) and Jean (born 1915). In 1916, she and her husband visited Asia, including China and Japan, and returned home from Hong King aboard the Empress of Asia in December 1916. Unfortunately, Dorothy suffered numerous kidney problems within the next 10 years and she died in her New York apartment on December 1, 1926 at just 36 years old. She was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.