This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you. We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy.
Our Curatorial Team explores the powerful image of a baptism captured in 1914 on the James River in Newport News, VA, shedding light on the deep, enduring connection Black Americans have had with water. Through this historical photograph, we reflect on the rich cultural and spiritual ties to water that have shaped African American history, and how these traditions continue to influence and resonate today.
Is it a boat? Or an airplane? Perhaps both. Thomas Lake's patented pontoon-hydroplane boat is a testament to the imaginations of past inventors whose ideas paved the way for future vessels.
This is where our colossal eagle figurehead was sitting in 1933 when buyers for the Museum found it. Wouldn’t it be fun to walk through this store? Think of all the treasures you might find.
Cyanotypes can evoke a timeless quality, particularly when the subject matter is similarly aligned. This delicate image is all the more beautiful because of this process.
Even though I work in a maritime museum, my art training still brings a sense of wonder to certain images. I know that this photograph is documenting a step in a process, but this was not my initial response to this image.
Upon first glance, this vessel appears to be just another steamboat. But tinclad vessels? Sounds a bit wimpy to me. It turns out that Cricket has a great history, albeit not significant, in the American Civil War.
Imagine my surprise when I found out that this contraption is a Speaking Tube–I had cataloged it as a gas mask. The photograph is World War I vintage (that’s my excuse!).
