A Maritime Album
The exhibition contains 100 photographs selected
by eminent photographic historian John Szarkowski,
retired Curator of Photography of New York’s
Museum of Modern Art, with accompanying text by
Richard Benson, Dean of the Art School at Yale
University.
The exhibition spans the history of photography,
tracing technical and aesthetic developments along
the way. Photography was invented in 1839 during
an age of optimism and growth in the United States.
Geographic expansion and rapid industrial development
showed a vigorous society on its onward march,
and the camera was tailor-made to reflect the
accomplishments of the era. Nowhere is this more
vividly illustrated than in photographers’
documentation of maritime themes, from the most
elevated and formal to the most intimate and domestic.
Maritime traditions and culture have always been
a great source of pride. The surviving photographic
record as presented in this exhibition is powerful
testimony to the ways in which the sea has permeated
every aspect of national life, from the grand
spectacle of naval fleet reviews to the lone fisherman
adrift at sea.
Included in the exhibition are photographs showing
a wide array of American and foreign watercraft;
ship construction and launchings; the wreck of
the Adler in 1889; the seven-masted schooner Thomas
Lawson under sail; construction of Minots Ledge
Lighthouse in 1859; large and small fishing operations
in the Chesapeake Bay and off the coast of New
England; the Great White Fleet under way; the
first flight by Eugene Ely off the deck of the
Birmingham in 1910; wave-swept decks and ice-covered
fishing boats; advancements in propulsion technology
from sail to steam; women factory workers in the
Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1918; naval vessels
and activities during World War II; and a full-plate
daguerreotype of Donald McKay, one of America’s
premier shipbuilders.
Contents -100 framed black-and-white
photographs, one introductory text panel, ten
descriptive essay panels, and 100 caption labels
(50 photograph show available for $2,500)
Space required - Approximately
350 running feet
Shipping - Arranged by The Mariners’
Museum and paid by host
Insurance - Host provides
Exhibition period - 8 weeks
Exhibition Fee - $5,000 |
