The Nautical Photo Collection
T
he Newport Harbor Nau tical Museum in Newport Beach, California, boasts some unique items in its maritime collection, including a 3-foot long model navy destroyer commissioned by the King of Siam in 1918 and built by his silversmith our of 22kr gold and silver. Some of the museum's most important and valuable holdings are the nearly 80,000 vintage photographs and negatives that make up their nautical photo collection. The two largest elements of the collection are the full works of W. C. Sawyer and Neil Beckner, both professional photographers whose combined works covered the Southern California maritime scene from 1897 to 1987. These unparalleled collections visually document the Southern California coast and its vessels for nearly 100 years with a primary focus on pleasure craft. N umerous collections represent West Coast merchant and naval vessels, bur the Sawyer and Beckner holdings should be considered unique in their portrayal of recreational yachting in Southern California and its corresponding lifestyle. These images are considered rhe most comprehensive and complete photo archives of early West Coast sail and powerboats that exist. Yachts and yachtsmen, movie stars, clubs, races, small craft, boat yards and early harbor views are all significantly represented.
The W. C. Sawyer Collection William C. Sawyer began photographing rhe West Coast on sporadic visits from his home in Vermont beginning in 1897. In 1914 he moved to Los Angeles full time and continued to create his "Corinthian" history of the Southern California coast until his death in 1954. No orher photographer was able to so vividly and completely capmre the history of pleasure boating between Santa Barbara and San Diego. The Nautical Museum purchased the collection in 1988.
(Above) The race committee calling the finish, 2 September 1918. Photo by Sawyer; (background photo) Yacht Mischief sailing off Newport Beach in July 1919-39' gaff-rig sloop, later converted to a Marconi rig. Designer/Builder: Fellows & Stewart, Wilmington, California, 1904. Photo by Sawyer.
The Neal Beckner Collection Neal Beckner focused on the Newport Harbor area. Whereas Sawyer's work is primarily from the first half of the 20th century, Beckner covered the last half, from about 1940 until his retirement in 1987. Beckner became a professional free-lance photographer in 1959. A member of the Transpac Yacht Club, he covered most of the Transpac races for the next 25 years. His main camera was a 4" x 5" Speed Graphic, an old standby among professional photographers. Most of the Beckner collection consists of 4" x 5" negatives with 8" x 10" and/or 5" x 7" print enlargements. ,!,
Glenn Zagoren is President and CEO ofthe Newport Harbor Nautical Museum; Museum location: 151 E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Ph. 949 673-3377; website: www.nhnm.org.