Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
58.14 |
Object Name |
Lifeboat, Rescue |
Title |
Model of Lifeboat |
Artist |
Marentille, Abraham DuBuc |
Date |
1802-05 |
Description |
Short, solid wooden model of a boat, having two supporting legs at one end. The bottom has a longitudinal concave depression, and the deck a group of shallow slits and holes. Side of model has paper affixed to it with words "life buoy by Talbot Hamilton" faintly written. |
Label |
This model depicts a lifeboat for providing relief to individuals whose ship had been lost at sea. As with other early lifeboat models, many of the materials to make the rescue boat could be acquired from the ship itself. While the function of this model is clear, there is some dispute about the creator. APS records, as well as a label on the side of this boat, indicate that Talbot Hamilton made it and donated it to the Society. Hamilton, though not an APS member, had donated other objects to the Society in the early 19th century. Little is known about him other than his connection to the Scots Thistle Society, a benevolent society for Scottish immigrants. In an 1884 history of Philadelphia, he was described as a mysterious figure in Philadelphia history, with even his closest friends knowing little about his past. While Hamilton may have claimed the design was his, the boat design can also be attributed to Abraham DuBuc Marentille, who patented the model in 1802. Marentille built a life-size lifeboat in Elizabethtown, New Jersey and tested it in May 1803. In that year, he also published "All People Wrecked at Sea," describing the lifeboat and other life-saving mechanisms in great detail. It is possible that Hamilton used Marentille’s lifeboat as the inspiration for his model. |
Material |
Model: metal and wood; Label: paper |
Dimensions |
H-4.25 W-4.313 L-8.125 inches |
Dimension Details |
Incl. two projections |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society |
Search Terms |
19th century nineteenth century invention travel maritime marine engineering model transportation vessel |