The Independence Seaport Museum is unveiling a new exhibit next month, and it promises to be a treat for all ages.
‘Small but Mighty!: Models, Toys, and Miniature Ships’ will officially open on March 20 to the public with 50 rarely seen models from the ISM’s collection on display. Primarily made of wood, paper, bone and metal, the items all date back from the early 19th century to the late 20th century.
“Guests to the ISM over the years have remarked at the amazing range of ship models, toys and pond models in our permanent collection,” said Peter S. Seibert, president and CEO in a statement. “This new exhibition has given us the opportunity to exhibit some of the public’s favorite examples along with many that have rarely ever been shown before. Young and old alike will love exploring these masterpieces of miniature craftsmanship.”
Among the examples displayed are “extraordinarily detailed and realistic” models, including the Heavy Cruiser USS Indianapolis—which launched on Nov. 7, 1931, at the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey, to deliver the bomb to end World War II. That same ship was sunk by Japanese submarine 1-58 on July 30, 1945, after being hit by two torpedoes.
Other highlights include the Napoleonic War Model—a very early model made entirely by hand out of bone by French prisoners in the British Dartmoor Prison, and the Steamer Priscilla, made by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works Company (John Roach & Sons) in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Another group of highly stylized toy models on display include small model yachts that were used in racing for sport in England in the 1870s. It then made its way over to the US, in fact, New York’s Central Park Lake was built expressly for people to use in sailing pond models.
Most of the models in the Independence Seaport Museum’s collection are “scratch built,” which as they say, means the craftsmen had to shape each piece from raw or lightly prepared materials rather than using premade parts.
And as a release notes, while perusing through the exhibit, you’ll see ships models that were used for various purposes: Some were design sources, known as half hulls, used in building larger vessels, while others were used for sport, such as the pond models mentioned before. Model ships were made as toys for children, and highly crafted, expensive models on the other hand were intended as toys for adults.
Other models were made to commemorate new vessels and were presented to shipbuilders or owners, and some were also used as tokens of remembrance either made by those who were on particular boats or those who were simply avid towards certain boats. Philadelphians can witness it all for themselves daily at the ISM (211 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd) daily after March 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To see their full schedule of programs and events, visits phillyseaport.org
