Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
59.1 |
Object Name |
Ship |
Title |
Model of the USS Peacock |
Artist |
Unknown |
Date |
19th c. |
Description |
Wood ship model with three masts, approximately twenty sails, and various rigging. Includes twenty-two cannons and two lifeboats with oars. |
Label |
The refurbished sloop-of-war Peacock was the second largest of six ships that set sail as part of the 1838 U.S. Exploring Expedition. Departing from Norfolk, Virginia, the expedition intended to chart the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, explore Antarctica, and survey the Columbia River and California coast. Naturalist and artist Titian Ramsay Peale sailed on the Peacock until it sank at the mouth of the Columbia River in July 1841. Thousands of collected specimens were lost, but all hands were saved. The model shows the ship outfitted for war, before her armament was reduced and her decks rearranged for the voyage of the Exploring Expedition. |
Material |
Cloth, metal, paper, thread, and wood |
Dimensions |
H-42 W-19 L-51 inches |
Dimension Details |
Case: 47.75 x 68 x 28.125 |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift of Robert Cushman Murphy, 1959. |
Search Terms |
19th century nineteenth century travel navigation model transportation vessel |