Red Jacket

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By: Donald McNarry FRSA

Extreme Clipper Ship of 251', built 1853 in Rockland , Maine
Waterline model built 1977 to a scale of 32' = 1'
Glazed case of figured English walnut
The drama and emotion of the glamorous life of the mid-to-late nineteenth century clipper ship are conveyed in this depiction of the famed Red Jacket , acknowledged to be the handsomest vessel in the British merchant service, and always a favorite with the traveling public. The 13 day, 1 hour, 25 minute time of her maiden voyage from New York to Liverpool in January, 1854 has never been beaten by any sailing ship. The artist creates here a palpable tension by contrasting the beauty and delicacy of the clipper's hull and the fragility of her softly tinted sails and fine rigging with the darkly menacing, frigid Cape Horn waters she sailed in her quest for ever-faster passages between Liverpool and Melbourne. The London News published some views of the famous trip, showing her entirely surrounded with field ice, and she reportedly encountered many icebergs, some 200 feet high and including one estimated at two miles in circumference.
Provenance: Model built in 1977; Private Collection, Switzerland
Reference: Ship Models in Miniature, Vol. II, D. McNarry, (in galley)

Model type: Extreme Miniature
Scale: 32' = 1' Scale
Size: 16 1/2" x 7 1/4" x 8 3/4"
Code: EXM 2407

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