The Celebrated Tea Clipper: Glory of the Seas 1875

Color scrimshaw on pre-ban African Ivory by Joel Cowan. When it comes to detailed (and I do mean detailed) ship portraits, there is Joel Cowan and then there is everyone else. Working in time consuming stipple technique, Cowan does thousands and thousands of tiny dots for each prized portrait. We have worked with Cowan for several decades and are fortunate enough to have accumulated several of his pieces. These are prized by knowing collectors throughout the U.S. and abroad and many collectors have several Cowans in their collections. Now is the perfect opportunity to acquire one for yourself.

Taken from the internet:
Among the foremost icons of the 19th century were the clipper ships. They were built to carry high value cargo over great distances with speed. The most famous designer of these ships was Donald McKay, a Canadian-born American. McKay designed and built clipper ships beginning in the 1850s. The Glory of the Seas was to be his finest effort. He bet all his personal assets to build the ship on speculation. The Glory of the Seas was launched in 1869; on her maiden voyage she made a record run of 94 days from New York to San Francisco. Her arrival there was a great event. She was admired for the sumptuousness of her craftsmanship. Unfortunately, word of the instability of McKay’s financial condition preceded the vessel, and McKay was compelled to sell the ship in San Francisco. McKay never financially recovered. She made ocean voyages until the last years of the 19th century. She was then put into the coast-wise lumber and coal trade. In the early part of the 20th century she was laid up and subsequently used as a floating cannery and finally as a storage hulk. She was burned for her metal south of Brace Point in Seattle in 1923.

Notice:
This scrimshaw is done on pre-ban African ivory. Since the passage of the CITIES Treaty in 1973, there has been no African ivory brought into the U.S. However, ivory that was in the U.S. prior to 1973 can be legally sold and shipped within the U.S. However, new legislation taking effect in 2016 restricts pre-ban African Ivory from being shipped interstate. It can only legally be shipped intrastate, (within the state). All of our pre-ban ivory is located with our associate in the state of Florida. It can be purchased directly from our website and shipped only to an address within the state of Florida. If one has a relative, trusted friend or business associate within the state of Florida, we can ship to that specified address in order to comply with the new Federal legislation. The scrimshaw can then be forwarded it to you and everyone complies with the law. Any questions email or call us.