"We have to work like horses and live like pigs"

I posted a few months ago on Mystic Seaport's whaleboat that is in the National Museum of American History’s exhibit.What I didn't realize at the time was that it is a quote from Robert Weir's journal kept on board the whale ship Clara Bell that appears on the wall above the whaleboat and that curators choose to exemplify the feelings of 19^th century mariners. "We have to work like horses and live like pigs" is only one of the many insightful lines written by Weir in Mystic Seaport's Log 164. Illustrations from the Clara Bell log have appeared in numerous publications including the novel: "Whale Hunt: The Narrative of a Voyage by Nelson Cole Haley, Harpooner in the Ship Charles W. Morgan." “American Heritage” also featured an article on Weir that is now available online. … Many and many a weary league am I now from those I love—and O what a life for me to lead, among an ungodly set of men

Book, Manuscript and Periodical Catalog Update

Featuring updated search and display features as well as the ability for Mystic Seaport Staff and students to create accounts and maintain lists and email search results right to your own computer, the 'new' catalog is now live.

Check it out at:

http://voyager.mysticseaport.org/vwebv/searchBasic

Thanks for the smoothly orchestrated update go to Mindy Matheson the Collections System Administrator and IT Director, Michael Lehnertz.

You can also email or post search results to your fellow researchers. For instance - see what the Library holds on the Charles W. Morgan.

New -- Collections and Research Image Archive

Mystic Seaports' collection of art, objects, photographs, and ships plans number in the millions and while it is an ambitious undertaking staff at the CRC are continually working to serve our visitors by putting more and more of these vast resources online. To date approximately 10,000 images have been shot and scanned. That isn't all the collection but it is enough to keep many researchers, staff, folks with general interest in various maritime maters, or just the plain curious, plenty busy.

Search the Image Archive at: http://library.mysticseaport.org/ere/oindex.cfm. Results can be viewed in either List or Gallery views.

Or browse some selected ‘collections’

By Category: Instruments Scrimshaw Oil Paintings

By Topic: Canals Tugboats Bicycles

Please note - this resource is under continuing development (for instance you will see a few broken image links) but the visitors who have seen it appreciated it so much we felt it was time to make the announcement. Please send along your comments and suggestions to myself, kelly.drake@mysticseaport.org or any other members of the CRC staff. We’ll be working toward incorporating user input and adding more and more images to the archive.

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  Also - don’t forget our Digital Library collection of books, registers and manuscripts. Online at: http://library.mysticseaport.org/initiative/MsList.cfm

Collections Featured in "Classic Yachts" Article

This months issue of "Classic Yacht" carries a story on just a few of the many gems in our vast collections. You can view the article, some great shots of collection pieces, as well as words of wisdom from the staff at: http://www.classicyachtmag.com/currentissue (article on page 96).