For those unfamiliar with the Edward W. Kane and James Gubelmann IYRS Maritime Library, you may be surprised to learn that in addition to thousands of cataloged books, periodicals and A/V materials, its holdings also include a variety of rare, valuable, fragile, and scarce items. These include hundreds of charts, boat plans, letters, posters, brochures, press kits, typescript or handwritten histories, photographs, slides, films, and video tapes. Ephemera such as wearable items, burgees, flags and an impressive display of trophies, paintings, and models are also preserved, protected, and displayed among the Library’s Special Collections.
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Contents: Issue No. 7
NOW ON DISPLAY: Marine Trades Exhibit
VIDEO: Newport's Working Waterfront, by Stephen Lirakis
FEATURED FINDS: From Sea Chanties to Shamrock V
EXHIBIT PREVIEW: Worth More than 60,000 Thousand Words
VIDEO: Come Sailing with Prince Charles
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NoNow On Display:
MARINE TRADES EXHIBIT
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Grouped loosely into three categories – boatbuilding, propulsion, marine systems and hardware – our Marine Trades Exhibit includes more than 30 books, prints, drawings, blueprints, trade catalogs, and advertising items from our collections. Just a few of the exhibit items are shown below; click the link above or visit the Library Wed-Fri from 12N-4pm or Saturday between 1pm-5pm to view the entire display.
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Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.
Double Bed for 10 inch Stroke Engines, 1884
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A detailed pen and ink drawing of an engine gasket was produced in 1884 for the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, and is unusual in the way the diagram, drawn on paper, is attached to a small wood board with a drilled hole at the top, allowing the plan to be hung from a hook in the machine shop for easy reference. |
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Gray Marine Motors
1929 Trade Catalog, 39 pages
Gray Marine Motor Company, Detroit
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Motor Boat, April 1924
Motor Boat Publishing Company, NY, NY
Motor Boat had a dedicated section, "The Trade", which highlighted new boat models, engines and parts.
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Engines. Model A Ford Marine Conversion 1932, Palmer Bros. Engines Inc, Cos Cob, CT.
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For the practically-minded in 1932 who had tired of their Model A Ford, Palmer Marine of Cos Cob, Connecticut, offered a conversion kit to allow the old Ford engine to be installed in a boat. |
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NEWPORT'S WORKING WATERFRONT 1960s-1970s
by Stephen Lirakis
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Featured Library Finds Now Online:
From SEA CHANTIES to SHAMROCK V
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Since joining IYRS, Librarian Francis Frost has been systematically adding a wide variety of items of interest to our easily-accessible, online Library database. Recently added items illustrate the breadth of the IYRS Library Collection. A quick glimpse at the first three entries (below) includes items ranging in date from 1814 to 1939 to 1995, spanning topics from Offshore Ocean Racing to Traditional Practical Navigation to Inshore Day Sail Design.
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Scrolling through the "Featured Works" tab reveals much more from Deep Sea Chanties to Shamrock V’s private signal flag (below).
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Deep Sea Chanties by Frank Shay with woodcut illustrations by Edward Wilson.
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Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock V signal flag, circa 1930, sewn fabric with painted detail, 36 x 48 inches.
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PRINCE CHARLES SAILS THE SOLENT SWELLS |
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August 13, 1978: Heavy rain caused the streets of Cowes, Isle of Wight, to be flooded, but it did not deter yachtsmen like Prince Charles from braving the swells of the Solent. |
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Exhibit Preview:
WORTH MORE THAN 60,000 WORDS
Photographs From The IYRS Collection, late 19th Century - Present
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Did you know?
The human brain processes visual content 60,000 times faster than text, which means that a picture is actually worth 60,000 words!
At the end of June we will be opening a new exhibition of photographs drawn from the Library's collection. The images will range from late nineteenth century albums of albumen photographs, including one highlighting the America's Cup Races of 1893 between Vigilant and Valkyrie, taken by the New York photographer Charles Bolles; to an album of cyanotype photographs of Newport Harbor from the early 1900s, showing catboats, working schooners, wharf buildings and more; through classic yachting photographs of the mid twentieth century by master photographers Edwin Levick, Morris Rosenfeld and Keith Beken; to more recent photographs of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The exhibition will run through early Fall.
Included here are a few randomly selected images from the Library’s collection dating from the late 19th Century – present. These and many more will be included in our next Exhibit.
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above: Dun Gifford. Relaxing during the America's Cup races, Newport. Gelatin silver print, 1964. below: Edward Wanton Smith. Newport Harbor / Narragansett Bay scenes.
Cyanotype photographs, circa 1900
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above: "Water Witch". Albumen print, circa 1880 by Alfred John West (1857-1937) |
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Recent Donations & Acquisitions |
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The Library is very pleased to have received some generous donations in the past few months. The family of Olympic gold-medalist and boat designer George O'Day kindly gave a fine group of books belonging to O'Day, including; a copy of Morris Rosenfeld's "Sail-ho!" (1947) annotated "Boston Yacht Club / First Prize / 210 Class - Fall Series"; Manfred Curry's "Yacht Racing: The Aerodynamics of Sails and Racing Tactics" (1948) and Harvey Flint's "Winning Sailboat Races" (1944), among others. A signed and inscribed copy of yacht designer B.B. Crowninshield's informative "Fore-and Afters" (1940) was also received from another donor, as well as an uncommon collection of 'working' navigation books, full of notations and comments, which had belonged to a merchant mariner who sailed for much of his career to the Caribbean and South America for the Grace Line fleet.
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RIAMCO: Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections Online |
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IYRS Maritime Library participates in this State-wide historical archiving project along with most other RI organizations including Brown University, Redwood Library, RISD, Naval War College and more prestigious organizations serving as repositories for Rhode Island’s rich history. As one can imagine adding content to this massive archive is a daunting project, IYRS has started the process but our work has just begun. Bookmark this page to follow our progress as well as wealth of Rhode Island's history from our sister organizations throughout the state.
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IYRS MARITIME LIBRARY COLLECTIONS |
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About IYRS Maritime Library |
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Mission Statement: The IYRS Maritime Library is an educational and cultural resource, committed to the mission of IYRS and to making its collections available to students, staff and faculty as well as to scholars, researchers, and members of the general public.
IYRS Library Committee is comprised of founder James Gubelmann, interested IYRS Board members, the IYRS librarian, IYRS staff members, and qualified individuals from the surrounding community.
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Location: 4th floor of the historic 1831 John Mecray Aquidneck Mill building on the IYRS campus at 449 Thames Street, Newport, Rhode Island.
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Open to: Students, Researchers and Armchair Sailors
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Hours: Wednesday-Friday ~ 12-4pm & Saturday ~ 1-5pm
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Search: Online Catalog anytime
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Items in the library's Special Collections have been acquired through donations by private individuals and families as well as by esteemed organizations including the Redwood Library & Athenaeum, the National Sailing Hall of Fame, Salve Regina University and of course the Museum of Yachting. In addition to IYRS's searchable online catalog, which utilizes the Library of Congress system, the IYRS Maritime Library was selected to join RIAMCO-- the prestigious online gateway to the Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections.
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About Navigating the Stacks |
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Exploring the Collections of the IYRS Maritime Library
This newsletter was envisioned by IYRS Maritime Library co-founder and contributor James Gubelmann in order to illuminate the depth and richness of the Special Collections contained within. Gubelmann said, “Together with Editor, SallyAnne Santos, former Creative Director of the Museum of Yachting, we will provide insight into the library’s holdings, specifically highlighting contents of the Special Collections.”
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Miss An Issue of Navigating the Stacks?
Click to Read Archived Issues:
No 3. May 2022: Vanderbilt Collection, Lloyd's Registers, Walter Cronkite's Bookshelf
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