Ship Models

Ship model craftsmanship alone is awe-inspiring; but we don’t collect them just for their looks. Models can be viewed as primary sources from a specific moment in time. Well-built models show us how ships were used during their lifetimes, whether for leisure and pleasure, defense and commerce, or maybe even a mixture of all.

The ship models housed in our collection represent vessels dating back to New Amsterdam, all the way until modern container ships. They were built by sailors to commemorate their voyages, by shipping lines to advertise their vessels, and by amateur artists seeking to model ships that captured their interest. Most of our models were made after the 18th century, and include models of merchant and fishing vessels, working vessels, ocean liners, warships, and other crafts of all sorts and sizes, as well as ship half models, and ships-in-a-bottle. Among the 2,400 models at the Seaport Museum are Napoleonic-era Prisoner-of-War ship models, and builder’s models of ocean liners.