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Gibraltar
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British Ships at Gibraltar, James E. Buttersworth, signed. Oil on board.
Bequest of Dan and Grace Freeman, #1979.79.15.1
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In 1713, Great Britain claimed a rocky promontory on the European side of the Strait of Gibraltar, an eight mile wide naval choke point between Europe and Africa leading into the Mediterranean Sea. Over half the world's seaborne trade passes through the Strait, making a militarily and economically strategic geographic area.
In this painting by British artist James E. Buttersworth, a three-decked naval ship of the line flying the red signal of an Admiral of the Red sails past five vessels lying at anchor under the protection of the Rock of Gibraltar, waiting out the storm. We see the western side of the limestone ridge known as the "Rock". The seaborne eastern and southern precipes of the Rock of Gibraltar prevent easy access to the land, but the western face eventually slopes down to the sea. On this gentler slope, the British fortified a town and built a naval dockyard. The powerful batteries of the fortification protected any attack from the sea. Lightning seems to strike the low, flat isthmus that connects the northern side of the Rock of Gibraltar with mainland Spain and marks the northern boundary of Great Britain's territory.
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Tall Tales & Fish Stories Camp
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February, 18-22
9:00 am
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4:00 pm
Ages 5-10, $195/$160 for PMM members
Register by February 8
From Paul Bunyan to Dad's story about the giant fish that gets bigger with each retelling, Coastal Maine is rich with fish stories and tall tales. During this collaboration between the Penobscot Marine Museum and Neighborhood Arts, participants will start each day at the Museum enjoying stories, crafts, games, and music relating to tall tales. In the afternoon, the participants will cross the street to create their own performance inspired by fish stories and tall tales. On Friday at 4pm, families and the public are invited to attend the performance at Neighborhood Arts.
For more information or to register call 207-548-2529 or email jganskop@pmm-maine.org.
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Sailors' Valentine Workshops
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Saturday, February
10:00 am Children, $8
Children under age 7 must be accompanied by an adult.
11:00 am Adults, $20
Sailor's Valentines are a form of sea shell art, popular in the 1800s,when sailors brought them home to their wives, girlfriends, mothers, or sisters. Most Sailor's Valentines were made in the West Indies, on the island of Barbados, between 1830 and 1880, but production continued into the early 20th century. In this workshop, you can make your own Sailors' Valentine to take home. Children will build the Sailors' Valentine with a plastic base while the adult workshop will have smaller shells, a wooden base, and tweezers to easily set small shells. All materials and tools provided.
For more information or to register please call 207-548-2529 or email jganskop@pmm-maine.org.
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Frederick Ross Sweetser
By David Ruberti
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Fredrick Ross Sweetser Collection #LB2003.61.101
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I have just finished another one of our small photo collections to add to our on-line database. Not only does this chronicle the photographer's family but his home, the town of Searsport, where I work and many of you live, and its sea-going families. This is a collection of 400 images by amateur photographer Frederick Ross Sweetser who was born in Searsport, Maine on May 15, 1853, the son of Capt. Jeremiah and Susan (French) Sweetser. In his youth he accompanied his father on long sea voyages. His first music lessons were in Holland and very early in his life he showed a very decided talent for music and it became his life's work. For 44 years he taught at Boxwood Manor, a school for young ladies in Old Lyme, Conn.
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In Our Online Museum Store
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"Fireside Chats" Featuring the
Photographs of Peggy McKenna
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Photo by Peggy McKenna
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"Fireside Chats" is a beautiful new book that features the storiesand images of 18 Waldo County residents whose lives spanned most of the 20th century. These colorful characters shared their stories from their favorite rocking chairs and kitchen tables, and Peggy McKenna captured their spirit as they welcomed her in their homes.
The Belfast Historical Society culled the book's interviews and photographic spreads from the "Fireside Chat" series created by Peggy McKenna and staff writer Jeff Shula for Belfast's Waldo Independent newspaper 30 years ago. The thoughtful collection reveals the resilience and humanity of each person and opens a window into life in Waldo County.
The Penobscot Marine Museum is fortunate to hold Peggy McKenna's photographic collection and is thrilled that these images and the stories behind them have been gathered in this publication. PMM has been organizing and processing the collection since its donation in 2014, and has been fortunate to have volunteers Betty Schopmeyer, Margot Davis, and Wendy Roland working on the task. McKenna's collection is massive, more than 100,000 images, and the potential for projects like this one are endless.
You can order this piece of local history through our website.
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Is this China's Century or
was it the Nineteenth Century?
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Photo: Downtown Transport, circa 1900. The water taxi sampans add to the crowded thoroughfares, whether land or water-based, of a bustling Chinese city. PMM# 127.15.
Gift of Joanna Carver Colcord |
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Penobscot Marine Museum has teamed up with the Belfast Free Library to answer this year's Camden Conference question: "Is This China's Century". The Camden Conference is an annual conference that fosters "informed discourse on world issues" and this year it runs from February 22-24, 2019. As a lead-up to the main event, the Camden Conference sponsors satellite events around the state of Maine. In December, PMM Curator Cipperly Good gave a talk to audiences at Belfast Free Library arguing that the Nineteenth Century was in fact China's Century. Our second collaboration with the Library is an exhibit of color prints depicting Chinese daily life from the early 1900s. The exhibit is on view now until the end of February, 2019.
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Annual T-Shirt Design Contest
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PMM is now accepting submissions for our annual T-shirt design competition. This year, we're looking for submissions inspired by the art and photographs in our 2019 exhibits, Maine animals in photographs, "Weather or Knot," and "Where in the World?" The winning design will be printed on t-shirts available for sale online and in the PMM Gift Shop. The winning design will be announced April 23rd and the winner will receive a t-shirt featuring his or her design, a 2019 PMM family membership, plus a free museum visit for the class!
- Competition is open to all K-12 Maine students
- Submit all designs by April 15th, 2019
- Original art only. Digital designs or scans/photos of non-digital art are welcome
Submit original designs by emailing jganskop@pmm-maine.org. Include the student's name, age, grade, school, and contact information. For the competition, please submit a medium or low resolution copy of your art as a gif, jpg, or pdf. If you are selected as our winner, we will request a copy of the original art and, if needed, assist in digitizing it. By submitting your design, you are giving Penobscot Marine Museum the right to use your work.
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The Penobscot Marine Museum seeks two full-time paid museum interns for summer 2019. These are general museum internships providing hands-on work experience in the daily operations of a medium-sized museum. Interns will actively participate in multiple departments including visitor's services, education, curatorial, marketing, and photo archives. This is an excellent opportunity for a student who would like to learn more about the variety of jobs available in the museum field, and also can be tailored for a more specific experience. About 40% of the internship will be public programming and the remaining 60% will be spent on other projects. These internships will include visits to local cultural institutions.
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