Crabtree Collection of Miniature Ships

This could be the most impressive display for people who are NOT interested in ships. August F. Crabtree was a modelmaker extraordinaire. He carved them all, and there were 16 ranging in scale from oh, 1:1200 to 1:100, but don't quote me on those--just an inexperienced eyeballing. The plates below each ship tell the full story.

One of the ships inside the darkened gallery. The amberish tinge you see in the photo is accurate. You can see the sails from another ship model in the background.

The neat thing about these models is that Crabtree scratchbuilt every item on the ship, metal fastenings and all. The carvings on the stern are truly impressive. Indeed, circular magnifying glass hangs in certain parts of most cases. If you bend down and bring your eye close to the glass, you'll be treated to a delightful closeup of such carvings.

The room is pitch black, but each case is fully illuminated in a low-glow. Photography is quite difficult with low shutter speed, and my attempt to shoot through the magnifying glass proved blurry. You really need a tripod to photograph this properly, and my shaky hands and 1/4 shutter speed proved too much for a clear image.

At right is the detail, somewhat blurry, from one of the ships, shot through a small circular magnifying glass hanging in the case. Impressive carving!

More of the Mariners' Museum

Introduction
Chesapeake Bay Gallery
Monitor Restoration
Age of Exploration
Defending the Seas
Collections Gallery
Great Hall of Steam
Crabtree Collection of Miniature Ships
Other Galleries
Gift Shop and More

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