primary custodians of the ships, boats, fine arts, and related artifacts that are the tangible expression of that legacy. Your efforts can only enhance our determination to extend understanding of the impact of maritime enterprise on our history to the broadest possible public audience. The Council looks forward to working with the American Ship Trust of the National Maritime Historical Society and with our colleagues around the world in the advancement of that understanding. PETER NEILL
President, Council of American Maritime Museums Plans for IMHY-92 center on innovative programs to raise the maritime awareness of the American people, and will be set forth in a future Sea History.-Eo Knowing No Other to Reach Out To As a member of NMHS and a retired graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, one of my volunteer activities is as information representative for the Academy via an alumni chapter. Our local Northern Ohio alumni chapter of the Academy participates in observing National Maritime Day by planning displays in public places. the displays are to support Academy recruiting and to encourage public awareness of the Merchant Marine generally. They generally stay up a week or two. My purpose in contacting you, since I know no other to reach out to, is to ask if the Society could let us have some photos or printed information suited for making up display panels; also, to use around the display area allotted to us. Society decals and publications featuring cargo ships, and issues of SeaH istory that have a cargo vessel on the cover would be appreciated. WALTER B OTTO
Cleveland, Ohio We're glad Mr. Botto turned to us, and urge others to get into this act of putting up maritime displays on National Maritime Day, May 22!-Eo
Is Bambi a Suitable Unicorn? I read the article "The Art of the Figurehead" (SH 50) by Mr. Powlesland with interest and some irritation. He has completed a fine piece of (the new Balclutha figurehead) and should be congratulated upon it. SEA HISTORY 57, SPRING 1991
However his remarks regarding the figurehead and trailboard decorations of The Great Britain (please note correct name) are quite another matter. He states the "visitors leave with the mistaken impression of both the ship's appearance and of ship carving in general." He maintains "they could not have been carved out of wood" and (if they had been) "could not have withstood the first sea that dashed against them." These statements are nonsense and, as I was responsible for much of the original research on the vessel, it is appropriate that I put the record straight. (1) The appearance of the ship is well documented and the present figurehead and trailboard decorations are based closely upon contemporary illustrations and descriptions. I enclose a copy of a drawing from the Illustrated London News for July 29, 1843, page 43, as just one example. There are others and they all add up to showing Mr. Powlesland's criticism of the appearance to be rubbish. The ship looks just as she did on completion. (2) Now as to the "carvings" themselves, I am afraid once again he has fallen into the trap of not verifying the basis for quite unpleasant and unjustified criticism. Mr. Powlesland says that "although remnants of the original high relief carvings existforthe Great Britain she has been adorned with freestanding figures that are inappropriate in every way."Now we do not have any remnants of the 1843 figurehead and trailboard decorations. What we do have come from the 1857 ship whose bow embodied extensive alterations including a smaller wood figurehead carved by Allan Clotworthy. There were no trailboards. The unicorn in his center illustration has nothing to do with the 1843 figurehead. (3) The 1843 decorations were not high relief carvings but were in low relief and indeed were not carvings at all. the contemporary accounts state quite clearly that they "were executed in bronze." They were thus easily made as shown, were strong enough (as indeed they proved to be) and were easily attached. Once again Mr. Powlesland is completely wrong. Perhaps the carver should stick to his chisel. E. c. B. CORLETT SS Great Britain Project Bristol, England
Great Britain' s bow decorations, and from no less a source than Mr. Corlett, the distinguished architect of the restoration.None ofthis information is available aboard the s.hip. (We feel it is an affectation to call her The Great Britain, by the way-she was not generally so called in her active career, so why start now?) But it should be observed that Mr. Powlesland' s critique of the unicorn figure on the trailboard forward is artistic, and we believe the three unicorns shown below bear him out, in the sad come down from the proud original figure and its 1857 replacement, to the mincing "Bambi in chains" we see today . Mr. Corlett, we feel, would be well advised to stick to his slide rule and stability tables. -Eo
It is good to know these things about the
New unicorn now on the ship
The original unicorn
Replacement unicorn of 1857
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