Tattoo Exhibit Makes New York Times

Last Sunday's New York Times reviewed Independence Seaport's great exhibit "Skin & Bones: Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor". The review does an excellent job of explaining the history and tattoo, especially in the maritime world. While not mentioned in the article the exhibit does contain a number of items loaned from Mystic Seaport's Collections including the C. H. Fellowes sketchbook.

Slideshow of images from the exhibit.

Season of Song and Sloops

Just as the Museum is gearing up for Sea Music, a new book on Pete Seegar has been released. To Everything There is a Season: Pete Seegar and the Power of Song "describes how folk singer Pete Seeger applied his musical talents to improve conditions for less fortunate people everywhere. This book uses Seeger's long life and wonderful songs to reflect on the important role folk music played in various protest movements and to answer such fundamental questions as: What was the source of Seeger's appeal? How did he capture the attention and affection of people around the world? And why is song such a powerful medium?"

The book also relates how it was "a young man at Connecticut's Mystic Seaport" that helped Pete find naval architect Cy Hamlin and design the iconic Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

More Visitors

The CRC was visited today by a group of world renown scrimshaw authorities who were wrapping up their tour of the East Coast scrimshaw collections at New Bedford, Nantucket, Sag Harbor and Cold Springs. The Visitors were especially impressed by the range and uniqueness of Mystic's collection including a set of walrus tusks carved by members of the USN Polar Exploration team aboard the JEANETTE, and an elephant tusk section engraved with a scene of a the "slaver SHARK."

Maritime Connections- Cornelius Vanderbilt

Newly released, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, is getting lots of rave reviews. This 736 page book details the life and impact of a man who began his career as a boatman and ended up as America's first big tycoon. Hopefully this book will also cover the huge impact Vanderbilt had on yachting. From racing to yacht design to commuters, Vanderbilt was a major force in the development of the sport. (Actually, if it doesn't, this book is missing a great deal).

Formally posed image of Cornelius Vanderbilt III (1873-1942) standing posed on the deck of, most likely, his new steam yacht, NORTH STAR, which was bought in 1903. Commodore Vanderbilt is dressed in formal yacht clothing holding a telescope crooked in one arm. Commodore Vanderbilt was commodore of the New York Yacht Club from 1906-1908. B.1984.187.457

Antiques Road Show Debut

Three paintings from the Collections were featured on last night's "Antiques Road Show". These included the Jennie R. Dubois by S. M.F. Badger, the "New York Yacht Club Race, 1875" by James Buttersworth, and John S. Blunt's painting of the 74 gun ship America.

Thanks go to Michael O'Farrell for lining up the "Show", and Maribeth Bielinski and Krystal Kornegay for doing all of the research and the legwork.

A sextant belonging to Captain James Earle, master of the Charles W. Morgan during nine of her voyages between 1890 and 1908, was recently given to the Museum. The sextant and case was a generous donation from a gentleman from Georgia who acquired it years earlier at an auction of the Barbara Johnson Whaling Collection. Barbara Johnson's collection was known as one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) private whaling collections ever assembled. We are ecstatic to have this new piece added to the Museum's collection while the Morgan is being restored.

Distinguished Visitors

Yesterday, May 5th, 30 archivist from China, in association with a program hosted by Yale University, visited the Collections Research Center to learn about Mystic Seaport's manuscript cataloging practices and view items from the Rare Book and Manuscripts Collection.

They were particularly interested in items relating to China Trade such as the Opium papers in the Howard A. Krumwiede Collection and the early folios. (As are we all!)

New Book

The Fisherman's Cause: Atlantic Commerce and Maritime Dimensions of the American Revolution is described as "In the first book-length examination of the connections between the commercial fishing industry in colonial America and the American Revolution, Christopher Magra places the origins and progress of this formative event in a wider Atlantic context. The Fisherman's Cause utilizes extensive research from archives in the United States [including Mystic Seaport], Canada, and the U.K. in order to take this Atlantic approach."

New Hours

Beginning the week of May 4, 2009 the Collections Access and Research Room will be open for Independent, Visiting Researchers:

10:00-5:00 Thursday and Friday.

To better serve our visitors we strongly encourage a call or email ahead.