A SHIP SO THAT EVERY VISITOR MAY INHERIT THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD: THE PRESERVATION AND DISPLAY OF HISTORIC VESSELS AFLOAT

Abstract

Historic vessels are preserved and displayed afloat by museums and cultural institutions throughout the world. Present efforts to maintain these vessels must account for the binary nature of the historic ship as both a historic artifact in need of care, and a historic structure that must be exposed to the elements and to visitors as a part of its interpretive mission. It may seem that the decision to collect and display historic watercraft afloat, and the development and professionalization of preservation practices, occurred as a part of the evolution of museums and collecting behaviors in general. The display of ships afloat in a museum setting, however, has a unique history that pulls from numerous practices and behaviors both within and apart from the development of formal museology. Examining the history of the collection, display, and stewardship of watercraft in detail not only explores the impact of changing academic interests and public emotions on prevailing collecting behaviors, but also reveals the continual presence of the maritime world within the history of the collection and display of historic objects.