Transportation

Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.

In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.

This is the original builder’s half hull model of the famous ship Young America, constructed by the renowned shipbuilder William Webb in 1852/53 at his New York shipyard.
Description
This is the original builder’s half hull model of the famous ship Young America, constructed by the renowned shipbuilder William Webb in 1852/53 at his New York shipyard. Measuring 243 feet long on deck and 1,961 tons, the Young America was an extreme clipper, characterized by a sharp bow and long, narrow hull. Constructed lightly for speed and commonly sailing the harsh waters of Cape Horn off the southern tip of South America with crews of up to 100 men, clippers often lasted only about ten years before being sold to foreign owners.
Costing $140,000 to build, the Young America set a number of speed records. It sailed from New York to San Francisco 20 times, averaging 118 days per trip. Its reputation for strength and speed earned high freight rates—its maiden voyage from New York to San Francisco earned $86,400. The clipper traded mainly between Liverpool, New York and San Francisco, but also sailed to China, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, the Philippines, Mauritius and other countries. After a very long and profitable 30-year career, the Young America was sold to Austrian owners in 1883 and renamed the Miroslav. In February 1886, the ship cleared Delaware for a trading voyage and was never seen again.
Half hull models were the first step in the construction of a ship. They were carved out of horizontal strips of wood known as lifts, and only one side was needed since ships are symmetrical. After a model was approved, its lines were taken (measured) and it was disassembled. Then the lines were lofted, or drawn at full scale on the floor. The actual ship’s frames were cut to fit the lines on the floor and then set in place along the keel during the construction process. Sometimes the models were discarded or even burned as firewood after use, but many original examples are preserved today.
Date made
1853
sold and renamed
1883
ship disappeared after setting sail from Delaware
1886
maker
Webb, William H.
ID Number
TR.160135
catalog number
160135
accession number
15059
This is a 1/8-scale model of the tobacco ship Brilliant, a 250-ton vessel built in Virginia in 1775 for British owners.
Description
This is a 1/8-scale model of the tobacco ship Brilliant, a 250-ton vessel built in Virginia in 1775 for British owners. The Brilliant's first and probably only commercial venture from Virginia took place when it set sail for Liverpool, with a full hold of tobacco, in the summer of 1775. Typically the Brilliant would have returned with manufactured goods, but because of growing hostilities between Britain and the colonies, the ship remained in England. Records show that the Brilliant made one voyage to Jamaica and returned to London in 1776. Later that year, the Royal Navy purchased the vessel for just over £3,000 and converted it to a ship of war for service in the American Revolution.
The ship Brilliant had three masts and square-rigged sails. Its lower deck was 89'-3" long, its breadth was 27'-1/2", and the depth of the hold was 12'-2". The ship was built of oak, pine, and cedar. When purchased for war service, the Royal Navy assessed its hull, masts, and yards at £2,143. The cordage, including halyards, sheets, tack, and anchor cables, were assessed at £340. Brilliant's sails, 27 in all, were valued at £143. Five anchors were assessed at £58, while a long boat with a sailing rig and oars was estimated to be worth £45. Other items aboard the Brilliant were inventoried, including block and tackle, metal fittings, iron-bound water casks, hour and minute glasses, compasses, hammocks, an iron fire hearth, and 10 tons of coal.
After its conversion in 1776 as a ship of war in the Royal Navy, the Brilliant was commissioned as the HMS Druid. Its first voyage westbound across the Atlantic was as an escort for a convoy to the West Indies. The vessel served as the Druid until 1779, after which it became the fire ship Blast. In 1783, it was sold out of the service for £940 and, for the next 15 years, the former Virginia tobacco ship served as a whaler in Greenland. The vessel was lost in the Arctic in 1798.
This model was built by Charles and N. David Newcomb of Bolingbroke Marine in Trappe, Md. The model makers began their work in March 1975, scaling every timber to size and making everything out of the same type of wood as the original. They devised miniature rope-making equipment to manufacture the 5,000 feet of rigging and anchor cable required in 20 different sizes. Women from the Newcomb family and the surrounding community made the rigging and sails.
The model makers left the starboard side of the vessel unplanked to reveal the timbering and joinery of the hull and to permit a view of the vessel’s living accommodations in the stern and cargo stowage, complete with tobacco hogsheads.
Date made
1978
ship built
1775
voyage to Jamaica
1776
became a ship of war in Royal Navy
1776
ship lost at sea
1798
maker
Newcomb, Charles J.
Newcomb, N. David
ID Number
TR.335672
catalog number
335672
accession number
1978.0403
Although the Salem, Massachusetts privateer Rhodes was less than 98 feet long, it had a crew of 90. Privateers needed large crews not only to intimidate their prey and hopefully make them surrender quickly, but also to overpower their enemies if a battle occurred.
Description
Although the Salem, Massachusetts privateer Rhodes was less than 98 feet long, it had a crew of 90. Privateers needed large crews not only to intimidate their prey and hopefully make them surrender quickly, but also to overpower their enemies if a battle occurred. After a fight, the winner also needed to put a “prize” crew aboard to sail the captured vessel into port, where the ship and contents could be inventoried and sold. The auction proceeds were then distributed among the owners, the ship officers and the crew.
The three-masted ship Rhodes was sharply built for speed and heavily armed, with 20 cannon. Despite these features, it was captured on a cruise in the West Indies by H.M.S. ship Prothé in February 1782. It was taken back to England, where its hull shape was drawn on paper to document how it might have obtained its speed. The Royal Navy then purchased it and renamed it H.M.S. Barbadoes.
Date made
1962
privateer captured
1782-02
ID Number
TR.320667
catalog number
320667
accession number
245900
This large creamware pitcher is decorated with maritime-themed images on both sides. One side depicts a shipyard in the process of building a ship while another ship sails away in the background.
Description
This large creamware pitcher is decorated with maritime-themed images on both sides. One side depicts a shipyard in the process of building a ship while another ship sails away in the background. The other side features the image of the now-built ship under sail flying the American flag. Under the spout a medallion features the name “Jacob Knight” in the center. Robert H. McCauley purchased this pitcher from Joseph Kindig of York, PA on August 5, 1938 for $85.00. This pitcher was previously part of the antiques collections of Mrs. G. Winthrop Brown and William Randolph Hearst. In Liverpool Transfer Designs on Anglo-American Potter McCauley attributes the piece to Jacob Knight, a shipbuilder from Portland, Maine who perhaps commissioned this piece to reflect his business. The transfer-print features color on the American flag.
This pitcher is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.63.079
catalog number
63.079
accession number
248881
collector/donor number
306
Built in 1890 by Belfast shipbuilders Harland & Wolff, the RMS Majestic was designed for luxury ocean travel.
Description
Built in 1890 by Belfast shipbuilders Harland & Wolff, the RMS Majestic was designed for luxury ocean travel. Like its sister ship, the RMS Teutonic, which was launched the previous year, the Majestic was built for the White Star Line’s service between Liverpool and New York.
The interior of the Majestic was opulent. Staterooms featured colored glass screens over the ports, while the smoking room walls were embossed with gilded leather and mahogany panels. Skylights, or lanterns, were installed in the ship’s dining rooms and other common areas. The lantern domes were designed to allow natural light to filter into the Majestic’s interior spaces.
The lantern in the Majestic's first class dining saloon was designed by British architect George Thomas Robinson. It was made up of 56 individual pieces, including eight plaster friezes, leaded stained glass and wood paneling. The plaster friezes depicted the “shipbuilder’s art from the early days of the Spanish Armada to the Battle of Trafalgar.”
When the Majestic was broken up in 1914, parts of the first class dining saloon lantern were sold to a ship salvage company, including the plaster panels. Several of these were paired with a smaller lantern from the ship and installed in the executive board room of Thomas W. Ward Ltd., in Sheffield, England. In the early 1970s, the director of the company donated this lantern and the plaster panels from the Majestic to the Smithsonian. He pointed out that the lantern had been saved three times, once when the ship was broken up and twice during the world wars of the twentieth century. He thought it fitting to donate this survivor to the United States “in memory of the many very gallant merchant seamen . . . who served in the Atlantic during the two World Wars.”
date made
1890
ship was broken up
1914
lantern and panels were donated to the Smithsonian
1970s
architect
Robinson, George Thomas
ID Number
TR.336295
accession number
1978.0206
catalog number
336295
The Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England, produced this Raleigh brand bicycle around 1949.This bicycle was ridden by Mr. Alvaro Zabala from Bogota, Colombia to New York City form January to June 1950.
Description
The Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England, produced this Raleigh brand bicycle around 1949.
This bicycle was ridden by Mr. Alvaro Zabala from Bogota, Colombia to New York City form January to June 1950. On January 3, 1950 Alvaro Zabala left Bogota, Colombia, on this bicycle, and headed for New York City. After pedaling through Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, the Mississippi Valley, and Ontario, Canada, he reached New York City five months later on June 2nd. It is estimated that about 8,000 miles were covered during the trip. Subsequently, Mr. Zabala pedaled the bicycle to Washington, where he presented the bicycle to the museum. Small flags of the 10 countries through which Mr. Zabala travelled are draped from the handlebars to the saddle.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1949
ID Number
TR.313481
catalog number
313481
accession number
187321
This short musket was manufactured by Griffin and Tow in 1779 for the British East India Company. Started in 1600, the publicly-owned firm traded with the East Indies, China and India until the late 19th century.
Description
This short musket was manufactured by Griffin and Tow in 1779 for the British East India Company. Started in 1600, the publicly-owned firm traded with the East Indies, China and India until the late 19th century. EIC merchant vessels were prime targets for American privateers, because of the large and valuable cargoes they transported worldwide.
This musket is an 80-cal. Brown Bess flintlock, with a short 39-in. barrel instead of the standard 46- or 42-in. barrels. Bearing the East India Company emblem, it was a perfect short-range firearm for a fighting privateer. Guns fired at close quarters, like on the decks of an enemy vessel, did not require the accuracy provided by longer barrels. Short-barreled guns also were quicker and easier to point in hand-to-hand combat.
Date made
1779
associated date
1779
associated institution
East India Company
maker
Griffin & Tow
ID Number
1980.0399.0822
collector/donor number
SA049
catalog number
1980.0399.0822
accession number
1980.0399
In 1840, Canadian Samuel Cunard inaugurated regular transatlantic steamship service from Liverpool, England to North America.
Description
In 1840, Canadian Samuel Cunard inaugurated regular transatlantic steamship service from Liverpool, England to North America. Within a few years, he had two competitors, one of whom was American Edward Knight Collins (1802-1878), owner of the Dramatic Line of Atlantic sailing packets.
Collins had been lobbying the U.S. government for nearly a decade for the subsidy of an American overseas steamship mail service, and in 1847 Congress authorized an annual transatlantic mail contract for $385,000. Won by Collins, the contract called for five steamships and bimonthly mail service from New York to Liverpool.
Collins founded the New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company (known as the Collins Line) and commissioned the four sister steamships Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic and Baltic. When service started in 1850, the Collins ships were the fastest, largest, and most magnificently appointed steamships in the world, with stained glass skylights, steam heat in the public rooms and 3,500-bottle wine cellars.
This painting shows the arrival of the Collins liner Atlantic in May 1850 after her maiden voyage from New York to Liverpool. Measuring 282 feet long and 2,856 tons, the Atlantic set a speed record on this passage, while consuming 87 tons of coal per day. Although the Collins line ceased operations in February 1858, the Atlantic was acquired by the U.S. Government for Civil War service. After the war it was operated by other owners until scrapped in 1871.
date made
1800s
US Congress awarded an annual transatlantic mail contract to Collins
1847
Collins Line service started
1850
Collins Line service ended
1858
Atlantic acquired by the government for Civil War service
1858
Atlantic scrapped
1871
Collins steamship line
New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company
ship owner
Collins, Edward Knight
ship owner and Knight's competitor
Cunard, Samuel
built SS <I>Atlantic</I>
Dramatic Line of Atlantic Sailing Packets
maker
Louis Honore Frederick Gamain
ID Number
TR.336491
accession number
1978.0362
catalog number
336491
The Starley Brothers of St. John's Works, in Coventry, England, built this Psycho brand bicycle around 1887.
Description
The Starley Brothers of St. John's Works, in Coventry, England, built this Psycho brand bicycle around 1887. The bicycle is of the improved cross-frame, safety type with a crank-bracket stay, a stay between the steering head and the top of the saddle post, and a pair of stays from the rear end of the rear fork to the top of the saddle post.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1887
ID Number
TR.218218
catalog number
218218
accession number
40967
The RMS Mauretania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Company. Designed to be fast and luxurious, the vessel was launched in 1907, and began its first transatlantic voyage on November 16.
Description
The RMS Mauretania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Company. Designed to be fast and luxurious, the vessel was launched in 1907, and began its first transatlantic voyage on November 16. Carrying a total of 2,165 passengers and 812 crew members, the Mauretania set a world record in 1907, arriving in New York from Europe in five days, five hours, and ten minutes.
The Mauretania burned 850 to 1000 tons of coal per day depending upon its traveling speed. When running at full speed, the liner boasted the equivalent of 70,000 horsepower. In June 1909 it made the Atlantic crossing in four days, 17 hours, and 21 minutes. This was the fastest time ever recorded, and the Mauretania was awarded the Blue Riband prize. This record stood for 20 years.
British architect and landscaper Harold A. Peto designed the Mauretania’s interior spaces. Peto created elaborate and luxurious rooms, drawing inspiration from French chateaux and the Italian Renaissance style. It took 300 woodworkers two years to carve the Mauretania’s interior decorations.
Like other ocean liners, the Mauretania could be converted for military use during times of war. During World War I, the British Admiralty called on the Mauretania to serve as an armed cruiser and hospital ship. The liner was re-painted in dazzle paint, a quilted camouflage technique used to distort the ship’s silhouette and confuse enemy U-boats. The Mauretania carried 33,610 American soldiers across the Atlantic on seven separate voyages. In May 1919 the liner retired from government services.
That same year, the Mauretania was converted to run on oil. It continued work as a passenger liner until 1934, steaming back and forth across the Atlantic. During its tenure, the Mauretania sailed enough miles to circle the globe sixty times. In April 1935, the Mauretania was sold and broken apart.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a special fondness for the Mauretania and donated this model of the ship to the Smithsonian in 1935.
date made
1907
ship launched
1907
broke a time record for transatlantic voyage
1909
served as a passenger liner
1919-1934
sold and broken apart
1935-04
ocean liner owner
Cunard Steamship Company
architect and designer for interior of ocean liner
Peto, Harold A.
ID Number
TR.311006
accession number
134437
catalog number
311006
On April 26, 1607, three passenger ships reached the shores of modern-day Virginia. The largest, named the Susan Constant, carried 54 members of a 105-man colonization mission.
Description
On April 26, 1607, three passenger ships reached the shores of modern-day Virginia. The largest, named the Susan Constant, carried 54 members of a 105-man colonization mission. Arriving thirteen years before the Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Mass., this group of Englishmen came in search of gold and glory in the New World under the direction of the Virginia Company. Their founding of Jamestown began a long and checkered chapter in American colonial history.
Built in 1605 near London, and leased from Dapper, Wheatley, Colthurst and Partners, the Susan Constant was barely a year old when the Jamestown passengers spotted land near Cape Henry at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Under the command of Captain Christopher Newport, the journey from London to Virginia took approximately four and a half months. Following its departure on December 20, 1606, the Susan Constant spent six weeks floating idly in the English Channel, waiting for the right winds to carry the passengers to their new lives. Unlike the colonists, the Susan Constant did not stay in Virginia, but sailed back to England filled with timber.
In the past, there has been some confusion over whether the ship’s name was Susan or Sarah Constant. According to a 1625 manuscript transcribed by Rev. Samuel Purchas, when discussing the journey of the Jamestown settlers, His Majesty King James I’s Council on Virginia referred to a ship named Sarah Constant. However, multiple accounts given by the original colonists, as well as the leasing companies, indentify the ship as Susan Constant or, more simply, Susan. No record of a Sarah Constant has ever been found in sources from the time period, and historians have since chalked the confusion up to a clerical error on the part of the Council.
In 1991, the Commonwealth of Virginia financed a $2.14 million life-sized reproduction of the Susan Constant. The ship took a short tour of the Chesapeake Bay area in 2007 as part of Jamestown’s 400th Anniversary Celebration, and can now be seen in the Jamestown Settlement National Park.
This model of the Susan Constant was given to the Smithsonian in 1998 as a gift from its builder, John W. Chapman.
Date made
1998
Susan Constant departed London
1606-12-20
Susan Constant arrived in Jamestown
1607-04-26
life-size reproduction was built
1991
manuscript transcribed discussing ship and voyage
1625
captained the ship
Newport, Christopher
leased the ship
Dapper, Wheatley, Colthurst and Partners
transcribed a manuscript
Purchas, Samuel
maker
Chapman, John W.
ID Number
1998.0227.01
accession number
1998.0227
catalog number
1998.0227.01
This creamware pitcher is transfer-printed with a depiction of the Portland Observatory located in Portland, Maine. The transfer-print of the Observatory is polychrome, as is the depiction of two unnamed brigs flying American flags on the reverse of the pitcher.
Description
This creamware pitcher is transfer-printed with a depiction of the Portland Observatory located in Portland, Maine. The transfer-print of the Observatory is polychrome, as is the depiction of two unnamed brigs flying American flags on the reverse of the pitcher. Flanking the Observatory are the various signal flags that would have been flown on the western and eastern staffs of the observatory. Each signal has an “Explanation” near the bottom of the pitcher. Above the Observatory is the title “Signals at Portland Observatory.” On the handle is a black floral design and around the base, top, and spout are bold, black outlines
This pitcher is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1807
ID Number
CE.63.142
catalog number
63.142
accession number
248619
collector/donor number
44-344
This white glazed earthenware plate is part of a set of four commemorative plates manufactured in England to celebrate the completion of the Erie Canal. This plate honors New York Governor DeWitt Clinton.
Description
This white glazed earthenware plate is part of a set of four commemorative plates manufactured in England to celebrate the completion of the Erie Canal. This plate honors New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. Clinton was one of the Erie Canal's biggest supporters as a New York politician. He believed that the canal would be, in his words , “a work more stupendous, more magnificent, and more beneficial than has hitherto been achieved by the human race.”
The plate reads: "THE GRAND ERIE CANAL, A SPLENDID MONUMENT OF THE ENTERPRISE & RESOURCES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, INDEBTED FOR ITS EARLY COMMENCE-MENT & RAPID COMPLETION TO THE ACTIVE ENERGIES & ENLIGHTENED POLICY OF DE WITT CLINTON, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE."
ID Number
CE.62.998B
catalog number
62.998B
accession number
171126
This creamware pitcher was likely made by the Herculaneum Pottery in Liverpool, England between 1805 and 1810.
Description
This creamware pitcher was likely made by the Herculaneum Pottery in Liverpool, England between 1805 and 1810. The pitcher is transfer-printed with a map of the “Newburyport Harbour” in Massachusetts and the statement “Success to the Commerce of Newburyport.” The map includes nautical information about the harbor and includes the location of a lighthouse. Above the map is an eagle with its wings spread behind a liberty cap and wreath. The eagle is flanked by two flags: an American flag with 15 stars and 16 stripes and a flag with 16 stripes and no stars. Below the map is a small depiction of a sailor holding a sextant. Under the spout is a transfer-print of the classical figure Columbia. Under the handle is a transfer-print of the seal of the United States. On the reserve is a transfer-print of the ship “Massachusetts.” Images of flowers and a sailor blowing a horn or using a speaking trumpet are printed on opposite sides of the ship.
Newburyport was established in 1764 and its economy thrived based on maritime trade. However, a fire in 1811 and the War of 1812 caused economic decline. The merchant ship “Massachusetts” was built at Newburyport in 1805 with Captain Thomas Buntin as its master. In 1806, the ship was detained by the British in the Mediterranean before its release in 1807. Buntin continued to use this ship as a facilitator of trade between Europe and the United States.
This pitcher is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.63.168
catalog number
63.168
accession number
248619
collector/donor number
44-353
Operating out of New York, the Black Ball Line pioneered scheduled packet ship service to Liverpool, England in 1818, and the firm continued operating until it was dissolved in 1879.
Description
Operating out of New York, the Black Ball Line pioneered scheduled packet ship service to Liverpool, England in 1818, and the firm continued operating until it was dissolved in 1879. Its success resulted from focusing on the lucrative passenger trade, at a time when immigration to the United States was at its highest level.
In 1851, the massive three-deck packet Isaac Webb was the seventh and last Black Baller launched from the shipyard of famous New York shipbuilder William H. Webb, who also owned a 1/16 share of the ship. Named after the builder’s father, the Isaac Webb measured 185 feet in length and 1,359 tons. It made about four round trips per year between New York and Liverpool, England from 1851–1879. The average length of a passage was 37 days, with the shortest voyage recorded as 25 days.
In June 1863, while westbound from Liverpool to New York with 658 passengers, the Isaac Webb was captured by the Confederate commerce raider Florida. A bond for a $40,000 ransom freed the ship to complete the passage. In late December 1866, while westbound for New York, the Webb encountered a gale so cold that it killed three crew, and several others were badly frostbitten. On the same passage nearly two years later, another powerful gale killed the captain.
The Isaac Webb continued to sail after the Black Ball Line closed. In late October 1880, while bound from Europe to New York, it was abandoned at sea by its crew of 24, who were rescued by a passing steamship bound for Boston. British marine painter Samuel Walters completed this oil painting around 1851, when the ship was new.
Date made
1851
ship was launched
1851
ship made transatlantic voyages from New York and Liverpool
1851-1880
ship was abandoned
1880-10
shipping firm
Black Ball Line
shipbuilder
Webb, William H.
ship's namesake
Webb, Isaac
maker
Walters, Samuel
ID Number
TR.317527
catalog number
317527
accession number
229943
The packet ship Shenandoah was built in 1840 by John Vaugn & Son at Philadelphia, Pa. for Thomas P. Cope & Son, better known as the Cope Line.
Description
The packet ship Shenandoah was built in 1840 by John Vaugn & Son at Philadelphia, Pa. for Thomas P. Cope & Son, better known as the Cope Line. Wealthy Philadelphia Quakers, the Copes transported about 60,000 passengers—mostly Irish immigrants—from Liverpool to Philadelphia from 1820-1870.
Measuring 143’ long and 738 tons, the Shenandoah spent nearly its entire career on the Philadelphia–Liverpool passage. It made 14 voyages for the Cope Line from 1839-44. In 1845 it sailed for the Dunham & Dimon Liverpool Line out of NY, but the following year it returned to Philadelphia for the Black Diamond Line. By 1847 it served the New Line, clearing Philadelphia on the 1st of the month and leaving Liverpool five weeks later, on the 8th of the following month. In the late 1840s, it lost its popular captain to the new Collins ocean steamship Atlantic. Many of the old sailing packet companies lost their captains to the newer and faster transatlantic steamship lines. The Shenandoah was abandoned at sea in August 1854.
Date made
1963
original ship built
1840
Cope Line operated
1820-1870
sailed with the Cope Line
1839-1844
sailed for the Dunham & Dimon Liverpool Line out of New York
1845
sailed for the Black Diamond Line out of Philadelphia
1846
sailed for the New LIne out of Philadelphia
1847
abandoned at sea
1854-08
shipbuilders
John Vaugn & Son
ship owners
Thomas P. Cope & Son
ID Number
TR.322426
catalog number
322426
accession number
247838
A musketoon is a short blunderbuss, or wide barrel muzzle-loading shotgun with a flared muzzle. Its large bore is loaded with several musket or pistol balls. The effect is much like that of a shotgun and is murderous at close quarters or when fired into a large group.
Description
A musketoon is a short blunderbuss, or wide barrel muzzle-loading shotgun with a flared muzzle. Its large bore is loaded with several musket or pistol balls. The effect is much like that of a shotgun and is murderous at close quarters or when fired into a large group. Short-barreled guns were excellent short-range weapons, for which the spreading shot pattern was more important than accuracy as an efficient anti-personnel weapon. They also were quicker and easier to point in hand-to-hand combat. Larger musketoons were sometime used in actions involving small boats, where they could be mounted by swivels to special timbers designed to hold them. This example has a bronze barrel for corrosion resistance in a marine environment, and a British Sea Service flintlock action. The lock has a Royal Navy anchor mark and London proof marks dating from around 1760. The blunderbuss became obsolete in the mid19th century, when it was replaced by the carbine.
During the Revolution and War of 1812, the American government did not have a navy big enough to protect and defend its shores. Lacking the resources, men and time to build its own warships, Congress authorized hundreds of privately-owned armed ships to attack British vessels. These “privateers” were heavily armed, preferably to intimidate their prey into surrendering, or—if necessary—to actually fight. However, a sea battle was the last resort, for it could injure crews or valuable hostages and damage the privateer or its intended prize.
Privateer vessels needed large crews to board enemy vessels or to put their own loyal crews on captured vessels. They also needed large stocks of arms for fighting and maintaining order on captured prize vessels. Pistols and other short-barreled firearms were best suited to boarding or other close actions, but they had to be dropped or thrown after a single use, as reloading in the heat of battle was too time consuming. Routinely, only officers owned and were permitted to bear their personal arms. Weapons were stored under lock and key in arms lockers and distributed among the crew when needed. Although the men were highly motivated and unlikely to mutiny, crews were large and disagreements could occur. In addition, weapons had to be ready for use at any moment, and their condition was easier to maintain if stored together.
Date made
ca. 1760-70
ID Number
1980.0399.0829
collector/donor number
SA059
accession number
1980.0399
catalog number
1980.0399.0829
By the later 19th century, guns had replaced most hand harpoons and lances, since they were far more efficient and deadly to the prey. They also could be shot from a safer distance from the prey than the hand tools could be wielded.
Description
By the later 19th century, guns had replaced most hand harpoons and lances, since they were far more efficient and deadly to the prey. They also could be shot from a safer distance from the prey than the hand tools could be wielded. The darting gun was one of the more popular types. Loaded with different darts, this versatile weapon could be used both for harpooning and killing whales.
This particular gun was displayed at the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London, England. After the display ended, it was donated to the Smithsonian by its inventor, Capt. Eben Pierce of New Bedford, Mass.
date made
1880s
guns replaced hand tools
late 19th century
displayed at the International Fisheries Exhibition
1883
maker
Pierce, Eben
ID Number
TR.316550
catalog number
316550
accession number
66767
The steamer Savannah holds pride of place in American history as the first steamboat to cross the Atlantic. Measuring 98’-6” and 320 tons, the little two-decker began as a sailing vessel at a New York shipyard.
Description
The steamer Savannah holds pride of place in American history as the first steamboat to cross the Atlantic. Measuring 98’-6” and 320 tons, the little two-decker began as a sailing vessel at a New York shipyard. Local ship captain Moses Rogers and his partner William Scarbrough of Savannah, Ga. formed a Savannah-based steamship line, and Rogers had the shipyard convert the vessel to a 75-hp auxiliary steamer for a total cost of $66,000. It was luxuriously appointed, with 32 berths in 16 cabins, full-length mirrors, mahogany-lined public areas, and other amenities.
On May 22, 1819 the Savannah cleared Savannah, Ga. under steam for Liverpool. It carried 25 cords of wood and 1,500 bushels of coal for fuel, but neither a single passenger nor any cargo. No one—not even the owners—trusted the new technology enough on the open ocean to invest their own money. On the 29-day passage to Liverpool, the Savannah operated its engines for about 100 hours, or 16% of the time. The rest was spent under sail.
The failure to secure any paying cargo or passengers altered the company’s plans for transatlantic service. The steamer left Liverpool for Stockholm, Sweden on July 23, 1819, again unladen. Under steam 28% of the passage to Sweden, the Savannah became the first steamboat in the Baltic on August 13. Capt. Rogers declined an offer for the ship from Swedish King Charles XIV for $100,000 in hemp and iron, as well as an offer from Russian Tsar Alexander for an exclusive monopoly on steam navigation in the Black and Baltic Seas.
The Savannah returned to Savannah in November 1819 and almost immediately sailed for Washington, DC. After two months in Washington, Rogers had failed to interest the U.S. Navy in his vessel, and it was sold to Capt. Nathan Holdridge of New York. He promptly removed the engine and began packet service between New York and Savannah. On its first voyage in October 1820, the Savannah sailed with 24 passengers and a full cargo hold. Ironically, four of its prior owners consigned cargo aboard the ill-fated vessel, now that it was an old-fashioned sailing ship. After a successful year as a packet, the Savannah wrecked at Fire Island, NY on November 5, 1821.
In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated May 22 as National Maritime Day, in honor of the day that the Savannah hoisted anchor on its inaugural transatlantic passage. The Smithsonian has Savannah’s original logbook detailing that pioneering voyage.
Date made
1961
cleared Savannah, Georgia
1819-05-22
sailed from Liverpool to Stockholm
1819-07-23
sailed in the Baltic
1919-08-13
returned to Savannah
1819-11
sailed from New York to Savannah
1820-10
wrecked at Fire Island
1821-11-05
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt named May 22 as National Maritime Day in honor of the <I>Savannah</I>
1933-05-22
ship captain and owner
Rogers, Moses
owner
Scarbrough, William
ship captain
Holdridge, Nathan
designated 05-22 as National Maritime Day in honor of the <I>Savannah</I>
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano
ID Number
TR.319026
catalog number
319026
accession number
236167
This matched pair of pistols was manufactured in the late 1700s for sea service at close range. The barrels were made of bronze, on account of that metal’s resistance to corrosion. The pistol’s wide bore enabled easy loading.
Description
This matched pair of pistols was manufactured in the late 1700s for sea service at close range. The barrels were made of bronze, on account of that metal’s resistance to corrosion. The pistol’s wide bore enabled easy loading. The pair was manufactured by John Tow, of Griffin and Tow, who made weapons for the British East India Company. Started in 1600, the publicly-owned EIC traded with the East Indies, China and India until the late 19th century.
Date made
Late 18th century
ID Number
AF.289492A
catalog number
289492A
accession number
59166
This matched pair of pistols was manufactured in the late 1700s for sea service at close range. The barrels were made of bronze, on account of that metal’s resistance to corrosion. The pistol’s wide bore enabled easy loading.
Description
This matched pair of pistols was manufactured in the late 1700s for sea service at close range. The barrels were made of bronze, on account of that metal’s resistance to corrosion. The pistol’s wide bore enabled easy loading. The pair was manufactured by John Tow, of Griffin and Tow, who made weapons for the British East India Company. Started in 1600, the publicly-owned EIC traded with the East Indies, China and India until the late 19th century.
Date made
late 18th C.
ID Number
AF.289492B
catalog number
289492B
accession number
59166
Knowing the best locomotives were made in England, Robert Stevens ordered one from Robert Stevenson & Company of New Castle for the Camden and Amboy Railroad which ran across central New Jersey.
Description
Knowing the best locomotives were made in England, Robert Stevens ordered one from Robert Stevenson & Company of New Castle for the Camden and Amboy Railroad which ran across central New Jersey. The "John Bull," named later for the mythical gentleman who symbolized England, was the result.
The locomotive was built as a standard 0-4-0 Planet class. Never seeing a locomotive before, Isaac Dripps, a young steamboat mechanic, assembled the engine from the parts that arrived in New Jersey in September 1831. It was tested that same month. The locomotive proved vulnerable to derailment. Dripps installed an extra pair of wheels, carried in a frame out front. Stevens called them "guide wheels"; they helped to steer the locomotive in curves and over uneven rails. The innovation worked so well that the Camden and Amboy bought 15 American copies of "John Bull" with the added wheels. By the end of the 1830s, American manufacturers were building locomotives and exporting to Russia and other countries that had vast terrain much like America.
The steam locomotive "John Bull" ran for 35 years, pulling trains of passengers and cargo between the two largest cities of the time, Philadelphia and New York. A short ferry ride connected Camden with Philadelphia and a longer ferry run connected South Amboy with New York. The locomotive propelled trains at 25 to 30 miles per hour.
Date made
1831
user
Camden and Amboy Railroad
Stevens, Robert
assembled by
Dripps, Isaac
maker
Robert Stephenson and Company
ID Number
TR.180001
accession number
15804
catalog number
180001
This model of a Chesapeake Bay log canoe was built in 1880 and displayed at the Great International Fisheries Exhibition in London in 1883. It shows a two-masted log canoe with a mustard-colored hull.
Description
This model of a Chesapeake Bay log canoe was built in 1880 and displayed at the Great International Fisheries Exhibition in London in 1883. It shows a two-masted log canoe with a mustard-colored hull. Although this model may look more like a recreational sailboat than a traditional paddling canoe, its roots can be traced back to the dugouts built and used by American Indians. Native Americans along the bay used dugouts, made by hollowing out a single tree trunk, to spear fish, gather oysters, and travel from one village to another. Europeans adopted the log-canoe technology shortly after arriving in the region in the early 1600s. By the start of the 18th century, colonists had modified the standard, single-log dugout, by hewing and shaping several logs and fitting them together to enlarge the craft. They added masts and sails, providing the means to travel farther and giving the vessels their distinctive appearance.
Despite the widespread use of frame-and-plank shipbuilding techniques around the Chesapeake, watermen continued building and using log canoes well into the 20th century. The canoes were ideal for oyster tonging in the many protected creeks and rivers that flow into the bay. This model includes a pair of hand tongs of the sort made by local blacksmiths for oystermen. A waterman would anchor his canoe over an oyster bed and lower the tongs into the water. With a scissoring motion, he would rake the tongs together until the iron basket was full and ready to be lifted onboard.
In terms of construction, the log canoe is the forerunner to the bugeye, which is essentially an enlarged canoe built of seven or nine logs with a full deck added over the hold. While log canoes are no longer used in commercial fishing, they can still be seen in special sailboat races on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake.
date made
1880
Date made
1875
ID Number
TR.25003
catalog number
025003
accession number
4586
"My invention relates to a contrivance to assist the helmsman in swinging the rudder laterally against the resistance offered by the water," James Davies wrote in 1877.
Description
"My invention relates to a contrivance to assist the helmsman in swinging the rudder laterally against the resistance offered by the water," James Davies wrote in 1877. "It consists in the combination of a pivoted cylinder containing a spring and a piston, the latter connected with the tiller." When the tiller is turned, and the rudder encounters pressure from the water rushing past it, Davies's spring and piston counteract the water's force. Because the device does not work when the vessel is backing-the spring would work with the pressure of the water rather than against it-Davies provided a pin along the side of the cylinder to block the spring.
James Davies was a resident of Liverpool, England. He may also have patented this steering gear in the United Kingdom.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1877
patent date
1877-08-28
patentee
Davies, James
inventor
Davies, James
ID Number
TR.308555
catalog number
308555
accession number
89797
patent number
194,658

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.