They know
their ships

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

The influence of the sea on the economy, politics and culture of the Philadelphia region predates the very founding and naming of the city by William Penn.
The first Europeans to inhabit the area, the Swedes, arrived here by ship in the early 17th century. The same primary mode of transportation served wave upon wave of immigration for more than three centuries.
As Philadelphia grew through the Colonial period, and the English Quakers replaced the Swedes as its proprietors, shipping became the vehicle and the Delaware River port the gateway for the city’s emergence as a commercial power. In the Federal period, Philadelphia’s economic might transcended politics as the city became the first United States capital and the cultural center of the young nation.
The waterfront continued as a force during the industrial period, as factories and warehouses dominated the banks of the Delaware and Philadelphia became known for its textile, shipbuilding and railroad industries.
Next month, the city’s maritime history will once again come into focus as the 47th annual Philadelphia Antiques Show features a special exhibit of seafaring artifacts in conjunction with the show’s move to the Navy Yard.
Fore & Aft: Philadelphia Collects Maritime, organized by the Independence Seaport Museum, will be the centerpiece of the new 40,000-square-foot exhibition space in the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier One, 5100 S. Broad St.
The nationally renowned Philadelphia Antiques Show, an annual fund-raiser for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, is moving from its longtime home at the 33rd Street Armory in University City because of a planned renovation of that space.
The show will be in progress from April 12 through 15, supplemented by a gala April 11 preview reception, and will include displays by more than 50 of the nation’s leading arts and antiques dealers showcasing rare period furniture, folk art, fine art, ceramics, porcelain and textiles.
Each piece, naturally, has its own story to tell, as do the dozens of maritime artifacts chosen from collections throughout the region, including the Historical Society of Frankford.
"Maritime is very expansive. It reaches out into our entire culture," said Craig Bruns, curator for the Independence Seaport Museum and creator of Fore & Aft.
"This theme has a very far-reaching implication, more so than anything we’ve done in the past," said Karen Drury, chairwoman of the Philadelphia Antiques Show Committee.
The featured exhibit includes paintings and sculpture depicting ships and sailors, handmade crafts inspired by the sea, logs and journals connected to sea travel and commerce — even fixtures and fittings from period ships.
Chronologically, the exhibit covers eras ranging from the 15th century to the Civil War period.
Some of the pieces include:
• A first-edition printing of Moby Dick (1851) by Herman Melville.
• Three whale bone and ivory canes from the mid-19th century.
• Several scrimshaw teeth, including one with an etching of the Second Bank of the U.S., operated in Philadelphia by Nicholas Biddle.
• A painting depicting the sinking of the HMS Augusta, a Royal Navy gun ship burned by American forces after running aground at Fort Mifflin in 1777.
• Construction drawings of the Monitor, the first ironclad U.S. warship launched in 1862.
• A sextant that belonged to Capt. John Barry, Revolutionary War naval hero.
Among the three Frankford-based artifacts is a scrimshaw tooth that probably was created by a J. Cooper of Kensington in or about 1862, according to Bruns. Also, there is a "Malay war knife" used in the East Indies around the turn of the 19th century, and the jawbone of a dolphin recovered by a Captain Roberts in 1856.
Communities like Kensington, Frankford and others along the Philadelphia waterfront were probably home to many seafarers at a time when the city and nearby locales like Wilmington provided them ample opportunities for employment.
Bruns noted that Philadelphia is in the midst of a revival of sorts in its maritime history as city leaders and private developers rush to transform the waterfront from its antiquated industrial configuration to recreational, residential and commercial uses.
"Philadelphia has a renewed interest in the river," Bruns said.
Similarly, Drury added, the University of Pennsylvania Health System is in the midst of its own transformation. The Philadelphia Antiques Show will play an integral part in the development of the Penn Lung Center at the new Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, scheduled to open this fall on the former site of Convention Hall, adjacent to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
The committee of volunteer women hopes to raise $1 million with the show. Last year’s event attracted about 10,000 people and raised more than $967,000 for another Penn Health project.
The show opens at 11 a.m. each day. General admission costs $15 at the door. Discounts are available for advance sales, seniors, students and other special groups.
Reservations for the preview reception range from $125 to $600 per person. The deadline is March 31. Guided tours, lectures and other special events will be held throughout the show. Call 215-387-3500 or visit www.philaantiques.com for information. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com