Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2009.50 |
Object Name |
Boat, Steam |
Title |
Model of Steamboat |
Artist |
Fitch, John |
Date |
1786-87 |
Description |
12-paddled steamboat housed in glass and wooden display case. Implements and tools on deck include anchor, ax, barrel, firewood, and rope. |
Label |
This model is very similar to the steamboat John Fitch demonstrated on the Delaware River to the Continental Congress on 22 August 1787, in order to request funds for his project. The model is an updated version of Fitch's original 1785 design (see 58.9). Fitch experimented with several models and styles of steamboats, creating paddles that could be worked by cranks, as seen here. Fitch dabbled in potash manufacturing, clock repair, silversmithing, and land speculating before he became interested in steam power in 1785. By 1790, he was offering three round trips per week between Philadelphia, Bristol, and Trenton, New Jersey on a full-size, improved version of his steamboat. Unfortunately, because Fitch charged less than stagecoaches (and offered free beer, rum, and sausages to passengers), his enterprise was a financial failure. His ongoing, heated debate with James Rumsey of Maryland over credit for devising the steamboat prevented him from capitalizing on his invention. Today, Robert Fulton is most often hailed as the inventor of the steamboat, despite having introduced his boat seventeen years after Fitch's. |
Material |
Metal, wood, etc. |
Dimensions |
H-12 W-10.313 L-30 inches |
Dimension Details |
Dimensions of case |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society |
Search Terms |
18th century eighteenth century invention travel |