THANKS

The Museum’s 41,000 square-foot Collections Research Center houses more than two million artifacts ranging from marine paintings, scrimshaw, models, tools, ships plans, an oral history archive, extensive film and video recordings, and more than one million photographs— including the Rosenfeld Collection. The CRC is also home to the G.W. Blunt White Library, a 75,000-volume research library where scholars from around the world come to study America’s maritime history. Staff provide for both physical and electronic access to this diverse collection of maritime history, which is used in a variety of ways.

The impact of the Museum’s collection is as vast and varied as the collection itself. We recently heard from Gary Jobson—sailor, broadcaster, producer, lecturer, and author—about his production of the documentary Unfurling the World: The Voyages of Irving and Electa Johnson using original footage archived at Mystic Seaport Museum. Gary had this to say about the importance of access to those historic moments:

There is a long-held belief that we can learn from the past. The lessons of yesteryear often provide a template for how to deal with the future.

I was honored to produce a film on the seven around-the-world voyages made by Irving and Electa Johnson between 1933 and 1958. Mystic Seaport Museum is the custodian of the Johnson film collection along with important artifacts and memorabilia from the circumnavigations. The film, Unfurling the World, recounts the invaluable life lessons bestowed on the young people that completed each voyage. We can see how technological advances were used to improve speed, sea-worthiness, and safety. Innovative yacht design and construction methods tell the story of dreams becoming reality.

It is a miracle these historic films, Electa’s extensive journals, and so many exceptional moments from the past are preserved in the Mystic Seaport Museum archives and were available for the production of this film. These collections deserve to be kept for researchers to better understand the past and prepare future generations for the challenges of tomorrow.

Thanks to the Museum’s many dedicated and generous donors, these historical snapshots will continue to be preserved for future scholars and history enthusiasts to study past inspirations, the evolution of technology, and the resulting influences on each rising generation.

Sherri Ramella, Editorial Director and Associate Director of Advancement