Historic Nantucket, Spring 2003, Vol. 52 No. 2

THE NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Arie L. Kopelman President

Peter W. Nash

Barbara E. Hajim

Alice F. Emerson

First Vice President

Bruce D. Miller

Patricia M. Bridier

Second Vice Pre.rident

Third Vice Prendent

Treasurer

Clerk

Rebecca M. Bartlett C. Marshall Beale Robert H. Brust Nancy A. Chase John H. Davis Joseph S. DiMartino Mary F. Espy Julius Jensen III

L. Dennis Kozlowski JaneT. Lamb Carolyn B. MacKenzie Bruce Percelay Arthur I. Reade Jr. Susan Rotando Melanie R. Sabelhaus

Harvey Saligman Alfred Sanford III Isabel C. Stewart Lawrence L. Stentzel John M. Sweeney E. Geoffrey Verney Marcia Welch Robert A. Young

Frank D. Milligan Executive Director

RESEARCH FELLOWS Dr. Elizabeth Little

Pauline Maier

Nathaniel Philbrick

Patty Jo S. Rice

Renny A. Stackpole

FRIENDS OF THE NHA Pat & Thomas Anathan Mariann & Mortimer Appley Heidi & Max Berry Christy & William Camp Jr. Laurie & Robert Champion Dottie & Earle Craig Prudence & William M. Crozier Robyn & John Davis Sandra & Nelson Doubleday Nancee & John Erickson Marjorie & Charles Fortgang Nancy & Charles Geschke Susan & Herbert Goodall III

Georgia & Thomas Gosnell Silvia Gosnell Barbara & Robert Griffin Barbara & Edmund Hajim GeorgeS. Heyer Jr. Barbara & Harvey Jones Kathryn & James Ketelsen Sara Jo & Arthur Kobacker Coco & Arie Kopelman Sharon & Frank Lorenzo Carolyn & Ian MacKenzie Phyllis & William Macomber

Miriam & Seymour Mandell Ronay & Richard Menschel Aileen & Scott Newquist Charron & Flint Ranney Gleaves & Thomas Rhodes Ellen & Kenneth Roman Marion & Robert Rosenthal Ellen & David Ross Linda & Harvey Saligman Charlotte Smith Genevieve & Richard Tucker Marilyn Whitney Yuriko & Bracebridge Young Jr.

ADVISORY BOARD Walter BeineckeJr. Joan Brecker Patricia Butler Helen Winslow Chase Michael deLeo Lyndon Dupuis Martha Groetzinger Dorrit D.P. Gutterson

Patricia Loring William B. Macomber Paul Madden Robert F. Mooney Jane C. Richmond Nancy J. Sevrens Scott M. Stearns Jr. Mary-Elizabeth Young

Nina Hellman Elizabeth Husted Elizabeth Jacobsen Francis D. Lethbridge Reginald Levine Katherine S. Lodge Sharon Lorenzo EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Mary H. Beman Margaret Moore Booker Richard L. Brecker Thomas B. Congdon Jr.

Nathaniel Philbrick Sally Seidman James Sulzer David H. Wood

Peter J. Greenhalgh Robert F. Mooney Elizabeth Oldham

Cecil Barron Jensen

Helen Winslow Chase

Elizabeth Oldham

Claire O'Keeffe

EDITOR

flfSTORIAN

COPY EDITOR

ART DJRECTOR

Historic Nantucket welcomes atticles on any aspect of Nantucket history. Original research, first-hand accounts, reminiscences of island experiences, historic logs, letters, and photographs are examples of materials of interest to our readers.

Copyright© 2003 by Nantucket Historical Association Historic Nantucket (ISSN 0439-2248) is published quarterly by the Nantucket Historical Association, 15 Broad Street, Nantucket, MA 02554.

Second-class postage paid at South Yam1outh, MA and additional entry offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Historic Nantucket Box 1016 • Nantucket, MA 02554-1016 • (508) 228-1894; fax: (508) 228-5618 • nhainfo@nha.org For information about our historic sites: www.nha.org

NANTUCKET VOLUME 52, NO.2

SPRING2003

4 Foreword

by Frank D. Milligan

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Family Registers:

A Brief (and Ongoing) History of Collections attheNHA

Genealogical Decorative Art

by Donna Smith Fee

by Ben Simons

15 Behind Every Photograph ...

The Image Collection of the NHA Research Library

18 Historic Nantucket

by Georgen Gilliam

Book Section Review by Kirstin Gamble

20 NHANews

On the cover: George Myrick and Eliza Mitchell's family tree is in the current exhzbition, Nantucket Roots: The "Vine and Hearts" Family Registers,

at the NHA Research Library's Whitney Gallery.

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EXECUTIVE

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Foreword Dr. Wzll Gardner with "a piece ofgreen china" outside his house at 33 Orange Street.

P1762

Below: Former NHA president Mrs. Nancy Adams

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0

N A FRIDAY EVENING,

February 24 , 1961, more than seventy people gathered in the Maria Mitchell library on Vestal Street for the Nantucket Historical Association's twelfth Annual Winter Gam. These land-based gams continued the tradition of ocean-going gams that were common during Nantucket's whaling era. The topic for the evening was "Your Neighborhood As It Was and As It Is ," and for those gathered inside against ! the wintry weather it seemed natural for Dr. Willian1 E. Gardner, known affectionately as "Dr. Will," to start the musings.

A former chairman of the NHA Council whose grandfather and great-grandfather sailed on Nantucket vessels, Dr. Will, who was also a volunteer NHA educator in the Nantucket high school, recalled with great delight his Orange Street neighborhood in 1884 when he was twelve years old. It was, he explained, a lively neighborhood with the "Watch Tower," captains' homes, a hotel and several inns, and never to be forgotten, Mrs. Winslow's ice cream parlor, which one attendee recalled with great enthusiasm.

Mrs. Nancy Adams, former president of the NHA and for years its honorary custodian of collections, described her forty years on nearby Fair Street where Ned Fitzgerald's Rum Shop sat perilously dose to the Women's Christian Temperance Union house. There were pumps on several corners where you could stop for a "dipper of water," and near ilie site of the Ships Inn was ilie home of Charles Starbuck, whose pigs and cows could be found in ilie lot right across ilie street. And that mud! Up to your knees at times and certain to pull ilie rubbers right off your feet.

And on it went. One reminiscence after another; one neighborhood after another. And while the mud, NANTUCKET

the water pumps, the cows, and Ned Fitzgerald's Rum Store are gone, so much remains. Forty-two years after Dr. Will's storytelling program, the NHA is still doing its job helping Nantucketers learn more about their ~ remarkable neighborhoods and the people who inhabited them. Your great NHA staff, and our equally wonderful Nantucket students, are fortunate to live in the midst of one of America's true historical treasures where neighborhoods have changed precious little in 200 years.

"In many ways historic places are the ultimate teaching tool," writes Rita Koman in Teaching to Think Historically, "[because they] stir imagination and raise curiosity."

Why is that Old Mill located on a hill? What was that Ham Pony Field used for and why does the Oldest House face south? Remarkable puzzles wait to be discovered by Nantucketers and visitors of all ages. Simply put, the NHA's responsibility is to use our historic buildings, and the neighborhoods in which they are found, to spark that imagination and curiosity in our students-and while we're at it, in nonstudents, too.

Our programs are taking place in the very same neighborhoods that Dr. Will and Mrs. Adams described so vividly. The NHA's downtown 1846 Macy Warehouse on Straight Wharf and 1847 Whaling Museum on Broad Street are two of the few remaining reminders of the industrial infrastructure that once ringed the harbor. Our 1838 Quaker Meeting House is the last of those in which the island's large and increasingly splintered Quaker conmmnity once met in silent worship. Our six historic houses-the Oldest House (16 Sunset Hill), Robert Wyer House (33 Orange Street), Hadwen House (97 Main Street), Thomas Macy House (99 Main Street), Macy-Christian House (12 Liberty Street), Greater Light (8 Howard Court), 1800 House PRING

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(8 Mill Street)-scattered as they are throughout the town, are physical reminders of the NHA's opportunity to exten d programs into the heart of so many Nantucket neighborhoods.

The NHA's twenty-five homes, museums, monuments, and sites represent a unique educational "cam~us , " and our job is to spread our programs out to mclude all of them in some way. One need only look at the NHA's 2003 Winter/ Spring Calendar to get a flavor of the myriad programs that were offered over the past few months. We have joined forces with the Nantucket Community Network for Children (CNC) to offer The Time Travelers D ay Camp and February's Sailor's Valentines Family Program for young learners. For Nantucket girls ages 9-12 we have st arted the Nantucket Girl Book Club in which girls and their families come together with NHA staff to read and talk about books with a maritime history connection.

For older learn ers the NHA partnered with the Nantucket Community School to offer two new courses: Preserving Your Family' s History and Historic Preservation on Nantucket led by NHA educational and curatorial staff members. And we are opening our Bartlett Road storage facility to the Nantucket community for behind-the-scenes tours of the NHA's collection of artifacts not currently on display.

As we prepare for another summer season, you can look forward to an ever-expanding menu of NHAsponsored educational opportunities. Our increasingly popular walking tour returns in May, and in July troubadour Bill Schustik will be the NHA's artist in residence, combining his passion for traditional storytelling and keen sense of drama with a rich baritone voice and ~ array of old instruments. New exhibitions will open With a genealogical display in our Fair Street Library's Whitney Gallery, a small gem of a gallery in the Fair Street neighborhood. At the Peter Foulger Museum 300 Years of Nantucket Fashion: Plain Threads to Nantucket R eds.," will have on display some of the NHA's prized vintage clothing and accessories.

Our expanded Colonial Life Children's Program will be offered for children ages 6--10 years of age who are interested in experiencing life on Nantucket as it was in the late 1600s through the mid-1700s with activities at the Old Mill and Oldest House. And, of course, the NHA continues its tradition of Thursday-evening speakers and musical presentations in the Whaling Museum's Sanderson Hall. Also, for the second year we HISTORI C

N A N TU C K E T

are joining with the Nantucket Atheneum, the Maria Mitch ell Association, and the E ga n Institute of Maritime Studies to present in July and August th e "Monday Super Series: Summer Evenings of Arts and Ideas"-this year with publicity support from WNAN radio.

And more is coming. Within a short time the restored 1800 House will reopen as the host property for programs specially designed to capture the ambiance of its restored rooms and will provide handson learning in Nantucket's historic arts , crafts, and trades. This "lifelong learning" program, the NHA's most ambitious educational programming expansion in decades, will offer Nantucketers and visitors year-round opportwu~es to learn more about Nantucket's history by .ex plon~g the NHA collections in period settings while learnmg first-hand to recreate historic arts and crafts tl1at were once common to many Nantucketers.

Perhaps you would consider being a part of this new wave of learning by becoming an NHA historical interpreter or volunteer within our Education Departn1ent, where you can learn with others and teach what you learn. Dr. Will would have been pleased if you did.

To discuss becoming an NHA historical interpreter or volunteer educator, please call our Education Programming Coordinator, Kirstin Gamble, at 2281894, ext. 123.

Dr. Wzll's Orange Street neighborhood ca. 1884, complete with "Watch Tower," captains' homes, and Mrs. Winslow's ice cream parlor.

-Frank D. Milligan S PRI NG

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5

Family Registers: Genealogical Decorative Art by Donna Smith Fee

Also shown on the front cover, this Myrick-Mitchel! family tree shows a greater emphasis on the earth.

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HE NANTUCKET

~is_tori~al AssoClaUon 1s mounting an exhibition this spring and summer at the Whitney Gallery in the Research Library that simultaneously illuminates the importance of family history and Nantucket history .

On display is a genre of decorative art called family registers: eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century compositions that use art and symbolism to show the life passages of birth, marriage, and death.

New England registers were customarily made with watercolors, paper cutwork, embroidery, ink, and oils, but most of the pieces in the NHA's collection are in watercolors. Creators of the registers were schoolchildren, or town clerks, teachers, or commissioned professional artists-all with a sure command of calligraphy.

Registers were made in memory of someone, or sometimes as a wedding gift in which icons such as fruits and flowers would be left blank awaiting the names of future children. Family members who had died were depicted by a broken branch or a brownish flower.

Edward D. Burke, who made several of the registers in the NHA collection, is believed to have been a schoolteacher and a professional genealogical artist whose registers were commissioned pieces. Other registers in the collection were made by Phebe Folger, Rebecca Folger, and Eunice Gardner, who were connected to the families depicted.

Most of the registers in the Nantucket collection include the central motif of entwined flowering vines NANTUCKET

stemming from a pair of hearts growing out of the fertile earth. The Nantucket registers are similar to those created on Martha's Vineyard and in other nearby coastal towns and are unique when compared to those made in inland communities.

The isolated maritime communities pursued similar occupations in the fishing and whaling industries and produced similar patterns in folk art, which were permanently adopted by local artisans. Another reason for the repeated use of the "heartsand-vine" motif in Nantucket and the region is that the emblem is adaptable. It allows for the frequency of second and third unions among a population that saw many men off to sea never to return. Although marriages of widows and widowers were common enough, Peter Benes, coauthor of the recently published The Art of Famzly: Genealogical Artifacts in New England, suggests that a maritime enterprise was more likely to produce widows who would re111arry than would the less risky farming establishments of inland New Englanders.

A bit of iconographic history further illuminates reasons for the popularity of the hearts-and-vine motif.

According to information gleaned from the Cheney Residence, a repository of Phoenician and North African history and culture, the origin of the heart icon in the form of a seedpod goes back to the seventh century B.C.E. The heart-shaped seedpod was from a nowextinct species of giant fennel called silphium, which was a highly valued trading commodity in northern Africa. The city of Cyrene created coins bearing the SPRING

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image of the plant's seedpod.

Silphium's enormous popularity was in part due to its efficacy as an herbal contraceptive. It was also used by the ancient Romans as an aphrodisiac, in perfumes, as a treatment for leprosy, as a hair restorative, and for wart removal.

Later, the icon of the heart came to have religious meaning as the symbol of everlasting life. Engravers and artists in Europe were prohibited from using the image because it was steeped in religious meaning.

In New England, it became a popular gravestone illustration.

By the time the heart icon became an emblem on the registers, it had come to symbolize the popular ideal of love. A pair of hearts on a register means the coming together of two people in the bonds of holy matrimony. Rising from the coupled hearts would be vines with flowers and seed- ' pods to represent the fruits of marriag~hildren.

The flower most commonly used on the Nantucket family registers resembles the ubiquitous native wild rose. Thriving in sandy soil and salt air, the local roses must have impressed those who created the family registers. They seem to be the perfect representation of what family demands: longevity, tolerance, and a few thorns for protection.

The family register of Thomas Hiller and Elizabeth Smith, drawn by Edward D. Burke, circa 1794-96, shows pink-hued rose petals with the seed pods containing the names of their children. It also includes the death dates of the children written in a hand different from that of the original artist, the family having added the new information.

The vines derive from the original "tree of life," which has its origins in the Book of Genesis, which HISTORIC

NANTUCKET

places it in the Garden of Eden. The true botanical Thomas Hiller and nature of the tree of life is disputed among biblical Eliwbeth Smith's scholars but the top three contenders are the date palm, /amilv register the olive tree, and the grape vine. All are ancient plants that produce life-sustaining fruits that nurture drawn by humankind. 1l1e coupling of hearts and vine now takes Edward D. Burke, on a deeper emotional texture. circa 179+--96.

The Nantucket hearts-and-vine motif has its place among maritime artifacts as well. In the NHA's collection are ivory busks engraved with hearts and vines (a busk is the front stay of a corset and is meant to help keep the body straight). Busks were scrimshawed by SPRING

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7

The Cartwright

whalemen and presented to the women left behind as intimate reminders of their affection. Women could walk through Nantucket Town with their scrimshawed three marriages and busks close to their hearts.

family tree illustrates

the children born /rom the unions.

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HISTORIC

;':-.';

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The family registers of Nantucket tell the story of the irreversible bonds we make with our families. The entwining vines with hearts and flowers NANTUCKET

represent all that is precious regarding family ties.

One register that takes advantage of the adaptable hearts-and-vine motif is one "dron by Eunice Gardner 1796." Instead of a single pair of hearts rising from a mound of earth, there are three pairs of hearts. The center pair represents the union of Benjamin Cartwright and Elisabeth Bunker; the flanking hearts represent earlier unions: Benjamin Cartwright with Abigail Paddock and Peter Gardner's union with the same Abigail Paddock. The story continues as vines rise from the hearts. The vines support pink roses with attached seedpods.

Written on the pods are the names and birth dates of children born from th e unions. The union of Gardner and Paddock did not produce any children .

This is shown by the vine rising up from the representative pair of hearts without flowers. Yet the vine is so fluid viewers must pay careful attention to follow the swirling vine upward. Of the flowers that announce both the birth and death dates of an offspring, the petals of the rose are yellowish, autumnal in hue, and are wilted.

Two Nantucket registers attributed to Rebecca Folger also follow the hearts-andvine motif. One of the earliest , circa 1790-1800, shows the union of Walter Folger and Elizabeth Starbuck. Its fruits and flowers include bluebells, carnations, fuchsias, and berries. Rebecca, the youngest daughter of Walter and Elizabeth, may have drawn another register in 1813 depicting her own union with cooper Alexander Folger. On this piece, the rose appears to be slightly more fluid than in the earlier piece. Of the five children depicted, their death dates tell us that only one child made it to adulthood. Rebecca's death date shows that she lived to bury all of her lost children. The register also tells us she died of consumption in the same year as her son Albert-he in May, she in July.

Phebe Folger drew a memorial to Zaccheus Coffin, which included his union with Thankful Joy. The scalloped circle containing the two nan1es grows into vines SPRING

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producing two roses. Each rose leads to another scalloped circle that includes the names of the two children born of the union between Coffin and Joy. In the memorial circle, we learn that Zaccheus Coffin died in December 1788 after two and half years' captivity in Algiers.

[During that time in history, American merchant ships were being seized by Barbary pirates who enslaved the American crews and held them for ransom. In 1799, the United States agreed to pay a yearly stipend to Algiers and other North African entities in an effort to protect American ships.]

A later composition, dated 1830, introduces the white rose and a banner held in the beak of a dove. Once again, children who have died are represented by wilted blossoms and broken stems from the vine. This family record of George Myrick Jr. and Eliza Mitchell emphasizes the earth more than the other compositions do. In the Myrick-Mitchell piece, the ground fills the lower third of the register. We can only conjecture as to why; perhaps the unidentified artist felt the earth from which we all stem should play a larger role in the work.

By studying these Nantucket family registers, people today might be inspired to create one for themselves. The definition of family has changed: how an artist would display a complicated, blended family of today would be of great interest to people who wish to explore alternatives to the traditional family portrait.

This register of

the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 2002.-D. S. F.

Walter Folger and Eliwbeth Starbuck's union

Research on this article was conducted principally in the essay "Decorated New England Family Registers, 1770 to 1850," from a chapter in the book by D. Brenton Simons and Peter Benes, The Art of Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England, published by HISTORIC

NANTUCKET

is attnbuted to their youngest daughter

Donna Smzth Fee is a free-lance wrzter; she previously contributed "New Home, Old Soul" /or the summer 2001 issue of Historic Nantucket.

Rebecca, ca. 1790-1800

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9

A Brief (and Ongoing) History

of Collections at the NHA by Ben Simons

N

ANTUCKET IS AN ISLAND OF PACK RATS .

The more engrained citizens are dumploiterers, attic-pigeons, and basementstuffers. In conversation, people boast of the secret prizes in their musty hoards, but especially about the latest arrivals. The more homely the originThrift Shop, dump, yard sale-the more delicious the discovery. The acquisitive spirit of island folk expresses not just a love of history-it is also a love of clutter.

How then does a basement full of "stuff" work its way through that magical transformation into deserving the name of a "collection"? In large part, the love and labor of generations produce a communal regard for artifacts that raises them beyond the reach of fan1ily curiosity or personal fancy. When a genuine historical consciousness settles into a community, like a family ghost, it is there to stay-often to the annoyance of newcomers and other upstarts.

Minerva's owl, as the wisdom says, flies only at dusk, and in Nantucket that moment arrived when a group of hardy citizens met to form the Nantucket Historical Association in 1894. Their goal was to protect the receding vision of the island's "winds of legendry," as a poem from the 1895 NHA Proceedings puts it: Awake, ye winds of legendry; Bring hither, as ye blow, The ships that sailed this ambient sea One hundred years ago!

To a European, one hundred years might seem a small ripple in the puddle of time, but to Nantucketers in 1894, the vision already appears venerable and ancient.

There is a discreet charm to the earliest steps, as in the report of the first curator, Susan E. Brock: In the early part of May [1894], we had about one hundred and fifty articles in our possession; now over four hundred, or to be more exact, we have received two hundred and ninety-five donations, and one hundred and twenty loans, making three hundred and fifteen articles under our care.

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These earliest words contained the leitmotif for the organization's future, "under our care." This deeply felt care was a community's passion, not just to preserve, but to create the history of the island that at the time lay piled up in attics and moldering in trunks.

The key to this effort would always remain the spirit of cooperation in the whole populace. Year by year, the I Curator's Report lists the curious donations arriving in a motley parade: "fine specimens of 'scrim-shont' work," "a child's chair handed down in one family since 1771," "painted portraits of old Nantucket sea captains." A great majority of these were donations, from "our greatest benefactor, Miss Folger," or loans, with the phrase attached, "loaned us by his niece, Mrs. C. G. S. Austin." The final category-the outright purchase-slowly gained favor, "We have also bought I some fine old glassware and . . . a set of pink lustre china ... which we consider the gem of our collection."

Over the years, the impressive trickle became an increasing tide, with many a spectacular surge. Perhaps most notable in the early years was the accession of Edward Sanderson's collection of whaling-related artifacts in 1929. Most of the harpoons, tools, and shipboard items that cover the walls and fill the recreated workshops of the Whaling Museum come from a cache discovered by Sanderson and his agents in Hull, England, which had been seized on Nantucket whaleships by British privateers. Sanderson also contributed his "famous whaling library," scrin1shaw, and ship models, which established the foundation of today's holdings.

The NHA's scrin1shaw collection emerged from over a century of bequests and purchases, and might serve as a model of the "geological" process of building a collection . In 1906, family descendants of Captain James Archer donated the spectacular inlaid ivory dressing case he made for his wife Mary aboard the bark Afton (1853-56). In 1918, the still-young organization acquired its first "Susan's Tooth," carved by Frederick SPR I NG

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Myrick aboard the ship Susan in 1829, considered among the finest of all scrimshaw pieces.

From this period until the 1980s, many of the best accessions drew from the private holdings of local historians and experts, who sought to have their beloved artifacts preserved in a hallowed public setting. Unique pieces hailed from the collections of Everett U. Crosby, Winthrop Williams, Robert Waggaman, and Frederick Gardner, to name only a few. Crosby's own historic volume Susan's Teeth and Much About Scrimshaw (1955) had given Myrick's handiwork aboard the Susan widespread fame. The outstanding scrimshaw from that period includes an Edward Burdett tooth, the "Bank Note Engraver" teeth, pieces by the "Ceres Artisan," along with dozens of swifts, busks, jagging wheels, and ivory tools. The NHA collection had evolved into a museum chest filled with the prizes and treasures of the cmmoisseurs.

In the natural history of all collections, a maturation occurs in which the early open-door policy fades and a new and selective focus on quality gains ascendancy.

Collections reach a critical mass, and their guardians must not only become fussier-which includes painful abstention from mid-level material-but also must be willing to apply greater resources toward their expansion. For nonprofit organizations like the NHA, this leads to an alteration in the landscape of collecting.

In 1986, at a crucial moment in the NHA's historynamely when the cost of acquisitions began to outpace budgetary realities, and conversely, when individual donors felt increasing pressure to auction rather than to give their artifacts-a group of individuals stepped forward to form the Friends of the NHA. As private collectors with a public concern for Nantucket history, the Friends inaugurated an approach to collecting that would bolster institutional interests with private purchasing power. Like Napoleonic field marshals in the HISTORIC

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battle of collecting, the Friends [ pursued individual pieces at auction and achieved some spectacular victories. The successful purchase would then be donated to the NHA collections as a "Gift of the Friends of the NHA." This process has led to many of the most remarkable accessions of the last fifteen years, including the NHA's second Edward Burdett scrimshaw tooth and the Susan Veeder whaling journal.

In the new era of collecting, the partnership of private, semiprivate, and public interests forms the key to successful acquisitions. The NHA's executive director Frank Milligan has made it a continuing priority to include funds for acquisitions in the annual budget, allowing for direct purchases by the NHA, and for contributions to larger-scale purchases by the Friends or individuals. At the same time, the majority of accessions continues in the form of generous donations from individuals, fanlllies, organizations, and estates. In the current state of historical acquisitions, this complex cooperation still produces breathtaking results. Let us take a look at some of the past year's best:

John Singleton Copley's

Portrait of Timothy Folger Since 1952 the NHA has owned the 1876 copy by artist George Fish (1822-1906) of one of the earliest and best-known portraits of a Nantucketer: John Singleton Copley's 1764 portrait of Timothy Folger (1732-1814).

Folger was a prominent Nantucket whaling merchant, Detail of and a cousin of Benjamin Franklin via the latter's moth- John Singleton Copley's er Abiah Folger Franklin. Together the two men pub- portrait of lished the first chart of the Gulf Stream, around 1770, Timothy Folger, for distribution to British captains of westward-bound ships. In the 1780s, Folger negotiated with the now in the British Crown to protect Nantucket whaleships from NHA's collection SPRING

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Above right: Oneo/the Myrick Susan's Teeth.

Below: detail/rom the journal showing the mptain nding on the tail ofa whale.

Photographs on these two pages (except Susan's Tooth)

by JeffreyS Allen.

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seizure by the Royal Navy. He was also one of the richest men in the commonwealth, and a rival of John Hancock, whose portrait by Copley dates within a year of Folger's.

Copley's Timothy Folger fom1ed part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City until it was deaccessioned in 1966. It then passed into private ownership, displayed by the Physicians Service Corporation of Connecticut. This year, the NHA succeeded in purchasing this important painting for its collections. The blockbuster purchase was made possible by two anonymous gifts, together with funds from the NHA's acquisitions budget. The portrait of Folger is the only known representation of any Nantucketer by Copley. It is an important depiction of one of Nantucket's leading historical citizens by one of America's greatest painters. It represents a considerable addition to the already robust painting collection.

The Journal of the Whaleship Susan Many people have heard of a Nantucket "sleigh ride," referring to the hair-raising ride of a whaleboat in tow behind an angry harpooned whale. In Charles Meyer's Whaling and the Art of Scrimshaw (1976) there is a reproduction of an especially fine scene, a whaling cap-

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tain in a broad-brimmed hat riding on the tail, or flukes, of a whale and holding gleefully onto "reins" from the whale's mouth. As it happens, this scene derives from a journal kept by Captain Reuben Russell aboard the 12 December 1841-28 May 1846 voyage of the ship Susan. This is a later journey of the same whaler Susan aboard which Frederick Myrick carved his legendary Susan's Teeth in 1829. The journal includes many delightful watercolors in Captain Russell's hand, depicting angry sperm and right whales in pro@e, several whale hunt scenes, two Nantucket sleigh rides, tropical island harbors, a large American flag, and many upturned flukes of whales that record successful capture. Captain Russell displays a rare touch of fancy and humor in his painting, unusual in a whaling captain.

Sotheby's originally auctioned Captain Russell's journal in the historic sale of the Barbara Johnson Collection in 1983. It returned to Sotheby's this year for the Important Americana auction in January, where Max and Heidi Berry successfully bid on it for the Friends of the NHA. Additional funds for the purchase were generously provided by Carl and Sonia Schmitt.

It is an important and dramatic addition to the whaling logbook and journals collection , and a significant companion piece to the NHA's two Susan's Teeth

by Nantucketer Frederick Myrick. The NHA once again expresses its gratitude to the Friends for this marvelous accession.

Two Pencil Sketches by William Trost Richards In certain instances, the NHA's acquisitions fund has the opportunity to proceed under its own wind and target items that arise in a lower price range. This occurred in rapid succession twice this year with the purchase of two excellent pencil sketches of Nantucket scenes by late-nineteenth-century artist William Trost Richards (1833-1905). Trost Richards helped SPRING

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Two penal sketches

contribute, along with Eastman Johnson, Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin (1851-1930), Wendell Macy (18451913), and others to the increasingly idyllic picture of a pastoral "old Nantucket," which gained favor at the turn of the century.

The two pencil-on-gray-paper compositions are titled "Nantucket, 1865" (with the inscription "Gathering kelp after an easterly wind on the coast of Nantucket Island") and "Nantucket Beach with Sankaty Lighthouse." They both date from a July 1865 visit Trost Richards made to Nantucket in preparation for his 1866 oil painting Nantucket Bluffs. The pencil compositions are rare works that seldom come to auction. They offer a charming pictorial view of the Nantucket landscape in the late nineteenth century, as well as a window into the working artist's mind.

of interest from the whale hunt so vividly recreated by the artist. Renny kindly donated the painting to the NHA in honor of his father, Edouard A. Stackpole, renowned Nantucket historian and longtime NHA official.

These accessions are only a few of the exciting additions to the NHA's ever-expanding collection. The process remains a cooperation between the community, collectors, specialists, auctioneers, donors, and all who have succumbed to the love of Nantucket history and are passionately interested in its preservation. There is no greater monument to the Nantucket community's sense of its own history than this effort of more than a hundred years to build, support, and maintain an outstanding collection of historical artifacts.

by Wzfliam Trost Richards.

Below: A reverse glass painting ofthe ship Sukey.

The NHA also owns the logbook of the Sukey /rom the same voyage as the scene depicted in the painting.

Reverse Glass Painting of the Ship Sukey Another addition to the painting collection arrived with the gift by Renny Stackpole, former director of the Penobscot Marine Maritime Museum and past curator of the NHA, of a reverse painting on glass by an unknown artist depicting the Ship Sukey of

Ben Simons is the NHA's assistant curator.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --....--

Nantucket. G. W. Gardner Master. off the North head ofAlbemal [sic] June 29th 1808. The exciting scene in bold colors shows a whale hunt in progress with two whaleboats dispatched, the lead harpooners standing in thrusting positions and the ocean bloodied by their jabs. An interesting detail depicts the ship's tryworks awaiting its expected fuel. The clearly portrayed flag of the Sukey flies high above, with an Old Glory waving abaft. The gift is especially exciting because the NHA already possesses the logbook of the ship Sukey from the same voyage. One can find the exact entry for June 29, 1808, describing the location referenced in the painting. The logbook contains further details HISTORIC

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Behind Every Photograph • • • The Image Collection of the NHA's Research Library

F

EW THINGS GIVE US

sense of history than a photograph. Expressions, clothing, and small details of surroundings suggest the personality and social status of a person man unage; vanity, wealth, and shyness show even after a hundred years. When I pick up an image of an unidentified person, my mind immediately tries to fill in the blanks, to m use on that person's life.

Take this i.tnage, for instance.

A cased daguerreotype of an unidentified woman in a long dress with a full skirt with many bows and ruffles and a bodice with bell sleeves and wide trim; her hair is oiled, with a center part, styled in ringlets worn in front of her ears, and a plait or bun at the top of the back of her head. Her clothing and h air style tell me immediately that this photograph was taken in the early to rnid-1850s, but there are questions left unanswered. Is this a half-mourning outfit? It's difficult to tell if this is a black dress in this daguerreotype; it's also difficult to see if there's crepe on the dress. With that Daguerreotype hair, in a style typically worn by young adult women, ofan unidentified the ring on her right hand, and no veil, she's too smartly woman /rom the attired for full or second-year mourning. But then, this NHA collections. could be a dark red dress! She wears a ring on her right forefinger and in her left hand clutches a parasol that

by Georgen Gilliam

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J

matches her dress; does the decoration and opulence of her dress and her curls tell us she is wealthy? It's hard to tell; it's amazing what a large part of their resources women spent on their clothes at that time. Young schoolteachers making $54 a year might spend $20 on a shawl of good quality that would last for years.

The dress in this image doesn't look obviously altered from an earlier style, as some photographs clearly show. Perhaps she had a servant who sewed and repaired her clothes , or perhaps her family's position and those of other rich young women kept seamstresses on the island employed. But maybe she didn't live on Nantucketmaybe she's a niece, sending her favorite uncle a portrait as a remembrance. Her face seems confident, and rather solemn. However, it's important to remember that the daguerreotype process required the sitter to remai.t1 frozen for several seconds, or even minutes (the process improved over time). Rare is the smiling portrait taken in that day, perhaps because a frozen smile is unflattering, or perhaps sitting for a portrait was a serious occasion and people didn't have the expectation to smile for the can1era.

Looking at this image, I get an immediate sense of the beginning of this woman's day. There must have been a lot of time spent on brushing and curling and S PRI NG

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hooking and fastening. She must have had some assistance, whether from a servant or a sister. That's a very different life from mine-it takes me a half hour to be washed and coifed and dressed, just the time my coffee needs to brew.

However, what strikes me when looking at this image is not that this young woman is so different from us, but that it is a the face of a woman you might see today, walking down Main Street, having lunch at the pharmacy. H you saw her today she might look a bit different; she would probably have plucked her eyebrows, have a less time-consuming hairstyle, and more informal style of dress. But chances are she would follow the fashion trends of today to the same degree that they were followed in the 1850s. People and customs haven't changed all that markedly.

The Nantucket Historical Association Research Library (NHARL) is fortunate to be the repository of over 50,000 images that put faces on Nantucket history.

This visual record documents the history of the island and its inhabitants, architecture, landscape, and events, giving us a rich source of information that significantly supplements our other documentary materials. Images from the collections have been used in many publications and other media presentations, including television specials, academic textbooks, and fictionalized histories.

The collections include examples of most photographic processes: daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, cyanotypes, and albumen prints; these are presented in various formats, including photographic albums, stereographs, velvet-lined cases, and cartes-de-visite.

The photograph collections portray stories of life on this island that would be lost but for these images, often pasted into scrapbooks and forgotten by the families of their original owners until found when cleaning out an attic. Our oldest item features the only known image of Nantucket taken before the Great Fire of 1846, a daguerreotype of downtown Nantucket showing several large wooden buildings. We hold many items from the latter

Above:

half of the nineteenth-century-capturing the look of TonySarg's Nantucket before cars, movies, television, and all the sea serpent, 1937. other trappings of life today.

While the Nantucket Historical Association trea- Below: sures the many nineteenth-century images it holds, it is The research library's part of our mission to continue to collect the history of oldest item, the island as it is being made. New collections and phoapost-1840 tographic iten1s are being added regularly, in an attempt not just to gather odd bits of antiquarian interest but to dague"eotype build collections that document the island's history as it of Main Street continues to grow and change. Significant collections be/ore the documenting our more recent history include the Tony Sarg photographs, rescued from the Hospital Thrift Great Fire Shop by NHA members, along o/1846. with other Sarg materials. Sarg, a wonderfully inventive artist who summered on Nantucket and kept a shop here, was internationally known for his puppets, illustrations, and for creating the first large Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloons. One of Sarg's most delightful escapades was to inflate his sea serpent balloon on Coatue, then to float it across to South Shore beach.

The Inquirer and Mirror was quite straight-faced in reporting on the sighting of the giant sea serpent, and Nantucketers converged to view the "beast." Last C225

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Top: A carte-de-visite a/Darius Bliss by E. T. Kelley a/New York.P1001 Middle: The 1986 staff of the now-defunct Nantucket Map & Legend.

Back row, l tor: Blanche Lyon, Stephanie Fontaine, Margaret Hitchcock, Jennz/er Lane, John Trafton (aka f. T.).

Middle row, l tor: Mary Murray, Anna Hal£ Sarah Wolfe, and unknown man. Front row, l tor: Jack Weinhold, Kate Stout (editor and publisher), Beverly Hal£ and Ludnt:la Belle Dawg (aka Pica).

Bottom: The Research Library's state-ofthe-arl vault.

Photograph by JeffreyS. Allen

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year, we were fortunate to receive a large collection of photographs taken for a local arts and events newspaper, the Nantucket Map & Legend, which recently ceased production. These images capture much of Nantucket's daily life through its news stories over the last fifteen years.

The custodianship of Nantucket's history involves many steps. While the most visible part of this process is collecting, it is only a small part of our efforts.

Much behind-the-scenes work goes into keeping track of, storing, preserving, and providing access to all our materials, including the photographic collections. The first step is to keep a paper trail of all incoming materials, gathering as much information as possible on each item, including its provenance and identities of any individuals or events featured in the images. Next, we must attend to the preservation of the items by providing appropriate storage regarding the object's size and physical needs. Most of the materials held by the NHARL are housed in archival-quality boxes and stored in the vault, which is in the especially renovated section of the basement where the humidity is controlled to a constant 40% and the temperature to a constant 65°. This atmosphere provides a climate that prevents chemical breakdown of the materials.

One of the most important steps in the care of the photographic collections is providing access to them.

No matter how wonderful a collection, it's pointless if no one knows you have it and can't find anything in it.

Access to our photographic collections is provided in several ways. Most of the items have been photocopied and the copies placed into subject categories in binders. While this system allows access along certain subject lines, it does not provide full retrieval. Every image could be placed under several subjects. For example, while a researcher looking for an image of her house might find it under the subject of "Main Street," another researcher looking for images of all houses of a lean-to architecture style would not be able to access desired images without looking through the entire collection. Because of the need for improved

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access, the NHARL now catalogues its photograph col- access the growing collection of digitized images and lections into a computer database, complete with digi- database records from remote locations and facilitates tized images of many items. This database now contains service to our patrons. The on-line image database is more than 5000 items and is being continually available through the NHA website. Patrons may also improved and augmented. learn about purchasing image reproductions on-line.

The NHARL has recently initiated a new digitizaThe NHARL is home to the most complete visual tion program to more securely preserve the collections. record of the history of Nantucket. We take pride in All scanned images are now stored in several formats. caring for these materials and providing access to the An archival master is first created and stored on a CD , a collections, thereby doing our part to fulfill the mission duplicate of which is stored offsite. Then, an in-house I oftheNHA. reference image is created for close examination .

Finally, we have added the process of creating low-resolution images for display on the Web. Access to the Georgen Gilliam is the NHA's curator of library image database through the Web allows researchers to and archives.

NHA RESEARCH LIBRARY WISH LIST Periodically, the NHA Research Library publishes a list of books that would benefit both staffand researchers.

The following is a selection of dictionaries, resource guides, and recently published books on topics of interest to our patrons.

If you are interested in donating any of these books, please call Georgen Gilliam at (508) 228-1655.

All gifts will be commemorated by a special bookplate.

Books:

Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary Memam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary National Geographic Atlas of the World The Columbza Gazetteer a/North A men¡ca

by Saul Bernard Cohen (Editor)

Brewer's Dictionary a/Phrase & Fable, 16th edition A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries

by David Allen Lambert

Your Guzde to Cemetery Research

by Sharon Debartolo Carmack

Gravestones a/Early New England and the Men Who Made Them, 1653-1800 by Harriette Merrifield Forbes

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The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620--1633 by Robert Charles Anderson, three-volume set Paint in A menea: The Colors of Historic Buildings edited by Roger Moss

The Diligent: A Voyage Through the Worlds of the Slave Trade

by Robert W. Harms

Generations of Captivity: A History ofAfncan-American Slaves,

by Ira Berlin

In Pursuit o/Levzathan: Technology, Institutions, Productivity, and Profits in Amencan Whaling, 1816-1906 (NberSeries on Long-Term Factors in Economic Development)

by Lance Edwin Davis; Robert E. Gallman and Karin Gleiter, Editors

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Historic Nantucket Book Section Review by Kirstin Gamble

The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed

by Heather Vogel Frederick

T

WELVE-YEAR-OLD PATIENCE GOODSPEED

wants nothing more than to study mathematics with Miss Maria Mitchell. But when her mother dies, the precocious preteen instead finds herself setting off on a whaling voyage with her father, captain of the Morning Star, and her younger brother, Thaddeus. Far from her Nantucket home, Patience is quickly-and reluctantly-introduced to the realities of life at sea ("No one warned me about the smell") and her place aboard ship. She dutifully makes biscuits and watches over her brother, all the while grieving for her mother and longing for a chance to put her trigonometry skills to good use by learning navigation. But will her father ever notice?

Heather Vogel Frederick's The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed is equal parts adventure tale, history lesson, and coming-of-age story. Geared for readers between the ages of eight and twelve, the novel follows the everimpatient Patience as she attempts to navigate her fanlily's new dynamics and new home at sea. And when the Morning Star confronts mutiny, it is up to Patience to save her father and brother, as well as the ship's crewa crew she has come to regard as fanlily.

Far more than a novel about a whaling voyage gone wrong, Frederick's work touches on broader themes of women's rights, parentchild relationships, and the complicated nature of grief. While the novel is wellresearched and filled with an impressive level of historical detail, Frederick's most compelling passages are those in which she describes Patience's inner confusion: "Why couldn't Papa consult my desires and wishes, and not just his own? Why couldn't he see that it wasn't just my schooling, but that I needed to be here, in tllis house, with all its renlinders of Mama's gentle spirit? If I went to sea, I feared I would lose her all over again, and my heart's invisible wounds would never heal." Unfortunately, the first two-tllirds of the NANTUCKET

novel are dominated by detailed descriptions of the whale hunt and the Morning Star, forsaking Patience's character development and rushing the plot at the end.

This winter, the NHA introduced the Nantucket Girl Book Club as an opportunity for girls and their parents to read historic fiction together. Modeled on the mother-daughter book clubs that have increased in popularity since the publication of Shireen Dodson's

The Mother-Daughter Book Club: How Ten Busy Mothers and Daughters Came Together to Talk, Laugh and Learn Through Their Love of Reading, the Nantucket Girl Book Club aims to give girls benveen the ages of ten and twelve increased self-confidence wllile underscoring their interest in history. The format, in which parents and daughters read the same book and then discuss it as a group, fosters sharing, reflection, and acceptance of one another at an age when girls are often exposed to competition, performance expectations, and judgment in the classroom.

The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed was our first book-and, while it received mixed reviews from the girls, it certainly got the club off to a heated start!

Mothers and daughters had surprisingly different reactions when asked if they would like to take a whaling voyage as Patience did. Wllile all the mothers thought they would jump at the chance to see the world, the girls felt that they would nliss their homes, families, and friends too much.

Because Patience was a strong heroine of the same age as some club members, it was inevitable that the girls spent much of their time discussing Patience herself. The daughters felt strongly that they would not be friends with Patience, whom they perceived as an unrealistic character because she "actually likes taking care of her brother" and wanted to study math. That led to an interesting discussion about how girls' lives were different in 1835 from what they are today. We talked about Patience's Aunt Anne, described as a bluestocking, and how her choice to run a school and never marry was unusual, even rebellious. We noted that Patience's role on the Morning Star was initially limited to doing laundry and helping Glum, the cook-but that it was her hard work, keen observations, and talent for math that eventually saved the day.

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In the end, we all agreed that the novel, like Patience, was a little too good to be true. While Frederick's language, filled with maritime metaphors (he "harpooned a sausage from the serving platter") is initially charming, we soon tired of the " precious" quality of the prose.

The same might be said for Patience. Frederick effectively evokes her heroine's grief, resentment, and guilt about leaving Nantucket, but her character suffers when

the plot quickly spirals into a contrived tale of callous mutineers and last-minute rescues.

The Nantucket Girl Book Club is currently reading Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Our April book is Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.

Kirstin Gamble is NHA education and public programs coordinator.

2003 FAMILY PROGRAMS This summer, the Nantucket Historical Association is pleased to offer a wide array ofprograms designed to bring history to life for children and their famtlies. Developed with multiple learning styles in mind, each class is filled with hands-on activities and takes advantage of the NHA's varied resources. There is a class for everyone.

Calling All Collectors!

Children will talk about why they collect and how they organize their collections while learning how objects in the NHA collections tell stories. The class will create a collection of beautiful buttons in conjunction with the 300 Years of Nantucket Fashion exhibition. Ages 4-5, with an adult, offered in July and August. $20/MEMBERS; $25/NONMEMBERS.

Ship-Shapes Amazing patterns abound all over the Whaling Museum and Nantucket. This class teaches children about shapes, patterns, and rhythm using NHA objects and historic buildings. Ages 4-5, with an adult, in July and August. $20 MEMBEHS/$25 NONMEMBERS.

Colonial Life Step back into the eighteenth century! Hoist the sails at the Old Mill, grind corn into meal, and walk to the Oldest House to bake meal into cornbread on an open heatth. After making their own butter, the children will enjoy an authentic colonial snack. Ages &-10, offered in July and August. $30 MEMBERS/$35 NONMEMBERS. Historic Fun and Games Here children will learn colonial board games, create Wampanoag beadwork, tell riddles, and sing dockside songs, just like eighteenth-century Nantucket children might have. Ages &-10, offered in July and August. $30 MEMBERS/$35 NONMEMBERS. A Sailor's Life Children who sign on to this class will discover what it was like on board a whaling ship. They will learn about knots and signal flags, design a sailor's valentine, sing sea chanteys, and listen to the stories of real children who went a-whaling. Ages &-10, offered in July and August. $30 MEMBERS/$35 NONMEMBERS. Amazing Architecture What can historic buildings reveal? Shapes, patterns, and styles will help participants uncover what some important buildings are

HISTORIC

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saying about Nantucket's history. In this class, children will learn about how people built and used their homes and how the buildings continue to be used today. Ages 10--12, offered in July and August. $25 MEMBERS/$30 NONMEMBERS. Gone A-Whaling Sign-on for an imaginary whale hunt! Learn all about the whales Nantucketers hunted, practice knots and navigation, and carve a piece of scrimshaw to take home. Ages 10--12, offered in July and August. $25 MEMBEHS/$30 NONMEMBERS.

Other Family Offerings Below Decks Join the NHA Below Decks in the Whaling Museum for handson history every Wednesday. Each week children can create a different historic craft--design a sailor's valentine, press flowers, etch a piece of scrimshaw, roll beeswax candles, stitch a sampler, or fashion a soap ball. Ages 5-12, Wednesdays in July and August.

No advance registration necessary. $2 PER cRAfT, W!TII ADMISSION TO WHALING MUSEUM.

Family Walking Tour This walking tour of downtown Nantucket includes a scavenger hunt and stories about historic children to help Nantucket history come to life for families. Ages 5 and up, with adult, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9:15A.M. Space is !in1ited; please sign up in advance at the Whaling Museum. FREE WITII PURCHASE OF HISTORY TICKET. Children's Concerts with Bill Schustik NHA Artist-in-Residence Bill Schustik performs special concerts for our youngest visitors in the garden of Hadwen House. Please watch for more details! Ages 3-5 (with adult): July 2, 9, 16 at 10 A.M. Ages &-12: June 30, July 7, 14 at 2:30 P.M. No advance registration is necessary. FREE TO MEMBERS!$3 NONMEMBERS. Please call (508) 228-1894, ext. 0, for more in/ormation about the programs or to register /or a class.

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N H A

NEWS

New registrar Mark Wilson and Patricia Sheehy in the Museum Shop.

Assistant curator Ben Simons and collections manager Tony Dumitru unwrap a historic dress dunng a behznd-the-scenes tour of the Gosnold Center.

New Staff Last summer, Patricia Sheehy joined the NHA staff as buyer and assistant manager of the Museum Shop. For the 2002 season, she managed the Museum Shop on Straight Wharf until it closed in December. Since then, she has turned her attention to assist Georgina Winton at the Broad Street gift shop. A native of Ireland, Patricia has lived on Nantucket for nine years and has brought her merchandising experience and knowledge of the Nantucket community to her position at the NHA. Mark Wilson started as registrar with the NHA in March. With a background in historic-site management, he is uniquely qualified to join the NHA curatorial staff. In addition to tracking the collection objects, he supervises incoming and outgoing exhibition loans.

Previously, Wilson worked with the Trustees of Reservations in Massachusetts and has experience in historic-building restoration and object conservation.

Mark, who grew up on Nantucket, is pleased to return to the island and especially happy to join his father, Peter Wilson, a museum interpreter, at the NHA.

Programming Survey Thank you to everyone who responded to our winter programming survey. So far we have received fortyeight responses- eleven on-line. The concept of offering adult life-long learning workshops and seminars has been remarkably well received by members. "We are pleased to hear the enthusiasm expressed and look forward to tallying the results of the survey," said executive director Frank Milligan. A complete report will be included in the summer issue of Historic Nantucket. In the meantime, please fill out your surveys or answer the questionnaire on-line at www.nha.org. There is still time, and we appreciate your input.

tunities for the Nantucket community to see the NHA's collection of objects not currently on display.

"This is a great opportunity for people who are interested in Nantucket furniture, scrimshaw, paintings, textiles, or other artifacts," said chief curator Niles Parker. "Not only are they seeing objects that rarely go on view to the public, but they get a glimpse of the breadth of the NHA's magnificent collection."

Tours are scheduled for April 27, June 27, July 25, and August 29. Please call (508) 228-1894, ext. 0, for times and registration information.

Exploration Trips Initiated by NHA volunteer Nina Hellman, this winter and spring the NHA has continued to sponsor successful trips to regional museums. In early March, the group went to New Bedford to visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the Rotch-Jones-Duff House.

Later in March, the explorers traveled to Boston with chief curator Niles Parker. Stops there included the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for the exhibition Impressions of Light and the New England Spring Flower Show. On April29-30, Newport is the destination. The overnight trip will give participants an opportunity to tour several mansions, walk the Cliff Walk, and visit the T ouro Synagogue. "The NHA exploration trips have been extremely popular and we look forward to visiting more museums and exhibitions in the fall," said Niles Parker. Watch for information about future trips or call (508) 228-1894, ext. 0, to get involved.

Super Series Gosnold Tours The Nantucket Historical Association's curatorial staff is hosting a series of behind-the-scenes tours of the Bartholomew Gosnold Center, the NHA's collections storage facility. The private tours began in the winter and will continue through August, offering rare oppor2 Q J:irsTORIC

NANTUCKET

For the second year, the NHA is working with the Nantucket Atheneum, the Egan Institute of Maritime Studies, and the Maria Mitchell Association to present the Monday Super Series: Summer Evenings of Arts and Ideas in July and August. Each organization is responsible for hosting two speakers throughout the summer SPRING

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At left: Former NHA curator Michael Jehle leads the NHA Exploration Tour through the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Right.

The group climbs the stairs under the skeleton of a blue whale.

enabling Nantucket residents and visitors to explore issues and topics related to the missions of the various organizations. "It is a chance for Nantucket's non profits to collaborate and bring outstanding speakers to the island," said education and programming coordinator Kirstin Gamble. Some of the speakers scheduled to participate are Evan Thomas, editor-in-chief of Newsweek and author of John Paul Jones: Sazlor, Hero, Father of the American Navy; Nancy Soderberg, former U. S. ambassador to the United Nations; James Bradley, author of best-selling Flags of Our Fathers; children's author Jean George; and H. W. Brands, author of The Age of Gold. New this year, WNAN, the Cape and Islands NPR station, will be the publicity sponsor for the Super Series. In addition to helping the organizations find speakers, WNAN will run a series of on-air promotional announcements for the lectures.

Series tickets will be sold through the end of June, and individual tickets are available at the participating organizations. Call (508) 228-1894, ext. 0, for ticket prices and more information.

Bill Schustik: Artist in Residence Legendary troubadour Bill Schustik will be the artist in residence at the NHA this summer. Starting with a kick-off concert on July 3 at the Oldest House, Schustik will perform a series of concerts for a variety of audiences over a three-week period. The goal of these performances is educational, and the NHA hopes that islanders and visitors will enjoy the experience of singing and learning about chanteys, folk music, and maritime singing and story-telling traditions.

Archives on the Road A group from the Society of New England Archivists will be on Nantucket on Saturday, June 14, to present a program called Archives on the Road at the Research Library, 7 Fair Street. It is an opportunity for people to HISTORIC

NANTUCKET

come in with their archivable objects (family papers, scrap books, diaries, letters, photographs) and have professional archivists explain their historical value and what kind of options are available for people to care for their objects. The archivists will explain some basic preservation/conservation techniques and what happens to collections if they are donated to an archive. In addition, there will be lists of resources for those interested in finding free-lance archivists, researchers, and consultants. The archivists will not provide monetary values for any objects.

KidsOub The NHA is considering forming a new membership program for children. The "Kids Club" may include special events designed especially for our youngest members, an online newsletter, discounts at our children's classes and workshops, and more. Right now we are looking for ideas. If you have a suggestion or know of a children's membership program that you can recommend, please call membership coordinator Virginia Kinney at (508) 228-1894, ext. 116.

New Website Design: www.nha.org The NHA is launching a new format for its website this spring. With a new design, the site should be easier to

Photographs by Bob Hellman Below: Bill Schustzk leads a group of Whaling Museum visitors in a rousing sea chantey.

N H A

Donated to the NHA by the Monaghan sisters, who owned Greater Light, this gold and blue cabrio!et-stylebonnet,

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navigate for both seasoned NHA members and new visitors. Look for information about our educational programs, calendar, exhibitions, sites, research library

sources, and Eprint articles. In addition, we have expanded our Frequently Asked Questions section, now found under the button "Nantucket History." . ca. 1840, There you can find answers to many questions about _zsasal7phleo/ I objects, Nantucket facts, and NHA history. Please

the hzstonc aot zng to be featured in

.

I drop

by the new. webs~te and let us know what you think-links back to staff can be easily found in the site or send an email to the editor

Plain Threads to Nantucket Reds'": Three Centuries of Nantucket Fashion

b"@nh

c l

at the Peter Foulger Museum

a.org.

'

Antiques Show The Nantucket Historical Association will host the 26th Annual August Antiques Show at the Nantucket High School on August 8-10, 2003. Managed by I the prestigious Antiques Council, the Antiques Show is considered one of the premiere summer shows on the East Coast. Featured in the show are fine examples of American and English furniture, Oriental rugs, ! maritime antiques, and Nantucket memorabilia.

Visitors will also see nineteenth- and early-twentiethcentury American paintings, decoys, and New England folk art.

SAVE THE DATES IN 2003 May 13-19 Thursday, May 22

NANTUCKET WINE FEsTIVAL PLAIN THREADS TO NANTUCKET REDs'f" THREE CENTURIES OF NANTUCKET FASHION

Members Preview Reception Peter Foulger Museum Exhibition opens to the public

Friday, May 23 Friday, July 11 Saturday, August 2

NHA ANNuAL MEETING AUGUST ANTIQUES SHOW

Thursday, August 7

AUGUST ANTIQUES SHOW

August 8, 9, 10 Tuesday, November 25

26TH ANNUAL AUGUST ANTIQUES SHOW FESTIVAL OF WREATHS

November 28-30

FEsTIVAL OF WREATHS

Thursday, December 4

FESTIVAL OF TREES

Friday, December 5

FESTIVAL OF TREES opens

Founders, Benefactors, Patrons Reception Preview Party

Preview Party, Sherburne Hal4 11 Centre St.

Preview Party, Coffin Schoo4 4 Winter St.

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The special events surrounding the three-day show kick off with a cocktail party at Moor's End followed by a dinner at the Eleanor Ham Pony Field on Saturday, August 2. Traditionally, the party and dinner have been on the second night of the show, but this year they precede it. Later in the week, the Friends of the NHA will host Leslie Greene Bowman, director and CEO of Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

The lecture and reception for Ms. Bowman will be held on Tuesday, August 5, at the Point Breeze Hotel.

The Antiques Show Preview Party is scheduled for Thursday, August 7, and the Children's Education Program will be held on Friday, August 8, at the Antiques Show. There is also a change regarding the Appraisal Days.

Due to last year's wide interest, the NHA and the Antiques Council members will offer two days for verbal appraisals.

Visitors to the show are encouraged to bring up to two items for an appraisal by antiques experts.

For more information about the Antiques Show, or to purchase tickets, please call special events and marketing manager Stacey Stuart at (508) 228-1894, ext. 130.

Plain Threads to Nantucket Reds:'" Three Centuries of Nantucket Fashion The NHA's major exhibition in the Peter Foulger Musewn will open Memorial Day weekend and stay up through Labor Day. Docun1enting three hundred years of Nantucket fashion, the display will range from the plain style of early Quaker dress to the inventive creations of the twentieth century, including whale pants, Lilly Pulitzer swimwear, and Nantucket Reds'".

From the pious to the practical to the downright eccentric, the full range of Nantucket fashion will illustrate the island 's transformation from a thriving, Quaker-dominated whaling center into a modern resort destination.

"Part of the excitement will be in the juxtaposition of different eras," said chief curator Niles Parker.

"Imagine a simple Quaker dress in the company of a pair of bright green whale pants."

Throughout its history as an island community, Nantucket has been exposed to wide-ranging stylistic influences, from the China Trade to Oceania, while always retaining its strong local identity. The sober Quaker aesthetic eventually gave way to the finery of SPRING

2003

N H A

whaling merchants and their wives, and to the unrestrained decorative accessories of the Victorian period.

In the next century, as Nantucket entered its resort years, a rich tradition of public performances and celebrations developed. The exhibition will include costumes from the 'Sconset Actors Colony and the Main Street Fetes. Lastly, the exhibit will showcase the flashy "preppy" dress of the postwar era. From the 'Sconset cocktail party outfit to the Lilly sundress and the new lidded Nantucket lightship baskets, the classically modern Nantucket style continues to thrive to the present day.

For more information about the exhibition, please call (508) 228-1894, ext. 0

Letters to the NHA The Historic Nantucket staff welcomes letters to the editor and we will print them as space allows. Below is a letter sent in January to NHA properties manager Ed Boynton.

We'd like to thank you for the special tour of the Whaling Museum. It is by far the most extensive we have seen, and its historical building makes it all the more real. We really appreciated you taking the time to open the museum for us.

The exhibits we saw and the manner in which they were presented were helpful, and have certainly given us fresh perspective and insight on exhibit signage and marketing for the museum we represent-Whalers Village Whale Museum on Maui.

If you come to Hawaii, we would like to reciprocate with a tour of Whalers Village. The historical connection between Nantucket and Maui is certainly close: it's interesting to see what the sailors left in Maui and what they returned to Nantucket with.

We'd like to learn more about the Nantucket Historical Association's programs and efforts, and are enclosing our application and membership fee as a sustaining member. We look forward to seeing you again-either in Nantucket or Maui.

Ron Ostrander and Daphne Chu

The NHA Research Library recently heard from the first (1999) E. Geoffrey and Elizabeth Thayer Verney Research Fellow, Lloyd Pratt. He was requesting information for an article he was writing "on reading and reform communities in Nantucket, which will be published in the third volume of the History Book in America, published jointly by Cambridge University Press and the American Antiquarian Society." Pratt finished his Ph.D. at Brown in 2001, taught for a year at Harvard, and is now an assistant professor of English at Yale.

11 l S T 0 RIC

NANTUCKET

NEWS

Wme Festival Tickets In the last issue of Historic Nantucket ticket prices for the Nantucket Wine Festival's Charity Gala on Thursday, May 15, at the White Elephant were incorrectly listed. Tickets for the event featuring food by more than thirty well-known chefs and samplings of wine from some twenty renowned wineries are $125.

There is no NHA member discount. The Wine Auction is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, at the White Elephant.

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May 13-18,2003 The NHA has been chosen as the beneficiary of the Nantucket Wine Festival Wine Auction and Gala Dinner.

We invite you to participate in the Nantucket Wine Festivala week-long event featuring seminars and tastings with wine and food experts from across the nation.

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Gala Dinner, Thursday, May 15 $I2j

Wine Auction, Saturday, May 17 (Net proceeds benefit the NHA)

To make a reservation for the dinner and auction, please call (508) 228-1894, ext. 130, or for more information about the Nantucket Wine Festival:

www.nantucketwinefestival.com