MARY POWELL c.1861 - a rare model / Part 1/ Rex Stewart

            MARY POWELL, in her 1880-81 overhaul appearance, is shown steaming north-
           bound to her Rondout homeport. The New York skyline is behind her.

The WAR of 1812 and the Civil War were American battles that were uniquely connected by the family of Mary Ludlow Powell. And with this connection were two famous vessels, the first (War of 1812) began with Ms. Ludlow's history when her eldest brother, Robert Ludlow, was assigned to the American frigate CONSTITUTION which fought and defeated the British frigate JAVA that December. Her other brother, Augustus Ludlow, was on the CHESAPEAKE serving as First Lieutenant when the ship engaged H.M.S. SHANNON off Boston on June 1, 1813.

             The author's CONSTITUTION GUNDECK showing the gunner's braced to fire
            with the first lieutenant giving the order. Robert Ludlow could be one of those men
            at the cannon.

After the war, Mary married a prominent businessman named Thomas Powell who established a steamboat line in 1835. The business lasted ten years and was transferred to the Anderson and Romer Families due to fierce steamboat competition in the Hudson Valley.

Steamboats were now being acquired by different firms and there was need for fast and swift boats. In 1860 a celebrated New York-Albany dayboat entered the river and gained prominence after she raced and beat ARMENIA. That steamboat was the DANIEL DREW.

Captain Anderson, viweing this powerful steamer as she passed his Kingston dock, knew it was time to upgrade and build a new boat that would eventually be the talk of the entire valley. That vessel would be the inevitable MARY POWELL dubbed "Queen of the Hudson".

She became the heart of American folklore as she plied the Hudson, and was heralded both in the Northeast and across the Atlantic. For 55 years she commuted on the river and touched at every port-of-call. She was beautiful as she was fast, surpassing many records of her contemporaries with no loss of life. She ran her last trip in 1920.

            Work-in-progress of MARY POWELL showing her rare original configuration
            of 1861. No current models exist of her in this state. Author, Rex Stewart

The MARY POWELL model is highly sought after in the collectible market today. In my experience as historian/modelmaker, I discovered this subject matter exhibited in many places of renown both in the state of New York and abroad. I first discovered the steamboat model while attending art classes at the Albany Institute of History and Art as a youth. I was awed and fascinated with the overall detail the MARY POWELL carried. At every opportunity I went to the Museum to study its configurations and faithfully sketched the details; only to file them away for future reference.

Some twenty five years later I received a commission from a local corporation to build MARY POWELL for the President's Room at Albany International. That build granted me access to the entire Hudson River Valley via media.

              
                 Author's model of MARY POWELL in the President's Room of Albany
                 International c.1980.

It wasn't long thereafter that prominent businessmen and women in both the area and region recognized I was the premiere builder of the Northeast steamboat; inpartricular, the Hudson River types. These affluent individuals were now converted collectors.

Bankers, lawyers, curators, corporate ceos. Physicians, publishers, antique dealers and families of the steamboat lineage collected them. There were others -too many to mention. But it was the media that magnified this genre to new and interesting circles, placing it in a class of its own from that time to 'today'.

           Albany artist Rex Stewart appearing on the popular television show "City-Closeup"
          discussing, in part, his prominence as the Hudson valley's premiere modelmaker of
          steamboats.

Today, there exist MARY POWELL models which are both antique and contemporary. Few are accurate -but overall, nice presentations of the "Queen". Several are at museums in New York State and one is at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. At the time of this writing I learned that a model of POWELL's vertical beam engine is at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut, a place where I exhibited for two decades.

For years I have studied and built this prolific model for clients, but only as she appeared in 1887. However, in my research, I found no models existing of her as she originally appeared. Finally, a collector in the Lower Hudson Valley contacted me and negotiated her 1861 build.

          Profile plan of the original MARY POWELL c.1861 by maritime artist  Rex Stewart

            MARY POWELL displayed at the collector's estate in Newburgh, New York


Commissioned work can be honored for any and all Hudson River steamboats. These are fine, one of a kind models that accurately define the vessel as it appeared at any given time of its career. For more information contact me at: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137 for details.

To view my work and credentials, please visit https://youtube.com/c/RexStewartoriginals and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart.

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Hudson River Line ALBANY c.1880 -The Model / Rex Stewart

             
                Hudson River Line ALBANY c.1880, Wood Steamboat Model - Rex Stewart


Of the models to leave my studio during the 1980s, ALBANY was one of the most prolific to research and build. A few Albany executives commissioned two versions of ALBANY and these remain in those families today. They are, by professional standards, the most accurate pieces in the Hudson Valley and the only models of its kind anywhere.

          Steamboat ALBANY docked at its Albany, New York pier before her morning run
         to New York City c.1880.

Albany was built at the Harlan and Hollingsworth yard in Wilmington, DE. and lauched there on January 30, 1880. Her hull was iron frame with steel plating. Her engine was built by W and A Fletcher of Hoboken, New Jersey. ALBANY's hull was 295 feet with a beam of 40 feet and a mean draft of hold 11 feet 6 inches.

Unfinished, ALBANY made an engineer's test run May 1880 from New York's W. 42nd Street, north to Yonkers and back. The upbound trip was slightly an hour, but the return trip was a remarkable 37 minutes for an average speed of 25 miles per hour. Two months later on July 30, 1880 the steamboat left New York City for her maiden voyage north to her namesake city.

                               Port Overview - Wood Steamboat Model ALBANY c.1880.

From that date through the 1885 season, her running consorts alternated between the CHAUNCEY VIBBARD of 1864 and the DANIEL DREW of 1860. With the latter destroyed by fire in 1886, the Hudson River Line acquired the sleek looking NEW YORK which ran in line with ALBANY until 1906.

          Samuel Ward Stanton's pen and ink drawing of ALBANY, showing her extended
         saloon deck c.1900.

Within the next ten years many changes were made to ALBANY. Her pilothouse was enlarged in 1885 and three years later her saloon deck was extended forward to the bow - eliminating the beautiful awning that highlighted her appearance. Between February and May of 1893, while at the Hollingsworth Yard, she was lengthened and her radial paddles and fan-shaped paddleboxes were replaced with feathering paddlewheels. Other developments occurred with her cabins and funnels, as these changes would serve as the prototype for the famous Hudson River Day Line Fleet of the 20th Century.

                
                 Grand Stairway, located behind the funnel system of the stmr. ALBANY.

The 20th century's first 25 years would expand from a two vessel operation to a seven boat organization. This expansion led to various changes and the ALBANY was re-routed to serve the New York City-Poughkeepsie run, being replaced by stmr. HENDRICK HUDSON for the Albany run in 1906.

During the mid-20s, ALBANY became the Day Line's last coal-burning steamer, serving primarily as a secondary vessel for overflowing crowds, charters, and the like. On Labor Day, 1930, she ran from Albany to New York City to close out a service record unsurpassed by any steamer in the modern Day Line fleet. She was later sold to a Maryland businessman , Benjamin Wills, who operated her on the Potomac River as POTOMAC.

The model shown, depicts ALBANY in her 1880 configuration. Painted with period colors, the model is accurately scaled and scratchbuilt in three woods, re: pine, bass, and birch. The scale is 1/8" = 1', with an overall length of 37" inches.

What documentation was available, I applied; assuring an accurate model of the highest quality.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit http://www.rexstewartoriginals.com.

Steamboat HENDRICK HUDSON -Model In Miniature

           Hudson River Day Line stmr. HENDRICK HUDSON traveling downriver toward
          toward Poughkeepsie, New York c.1920.


Many articles and several film footages have honored this handsome steamer since her first appearance on the Hudson River in 1906. As a builder I had the opportunity to meet Alfred Van Olcott, the great-grandson and heir to the Hudson River Day Line.

Mr. Van Olcott saw my exhibition at the Hudson River Maritime Center when I held my first steamboat showing during the early '80s. He spoke about a builder's model that his family donated to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington,D.C. that he wasn't particularly happy with. In his own opinion he thought "it wasn't a great or good looking model". In turn, after several meetings -and viewing his impressive photo collection of HENDRICK HUDSON, he commissioned a model that he wanted to be of "superb quality".

I spent a month reviewing the HUDSON's history and re-worked the plans he loaned and, similiar to former steamboat projects endeavored, there were no available profile drawings. I had to build the sidewheeler from those references I produced on ROBERT FULTON a few years prior. The height between decks were fairly similiar in scale, so I followed the deck layout of Mr. Olcott's materials, along with the supporting photo data to arrive at a model that would be, in laymens' terms -accurate.

          Starboard profile, in detail, of wooden steamboat model HENDRICK HUDSON.
          At 1:160 Scale she's shown as she appeared in 1943, four years before she
          ceased service on the river.

Van Olcott would visit twice from Princeton, N.J. before viewing the final completion. He was elated that his favorite sidewheeler was "captured in her true appearance". He shared this model with many affluent personalities in the maritime, especially those whom were steamboat-connected. As a model HENDRICK HUDSON became the flagship of my fleet of contemporary models, being written about by several authors and featured in a documentary by a television station in Kingston, New York in 1990. Today, the model is part of the Hudson
River Maritime Museum's collective body of steamboats currently exhibited at the facility.

HENDRICK HUDSON was built in 1906 at the T.S. Marvel Shipyard, Newburgh, New York. She was a beautiful steamer throughout at 390 feet and the second largest vessel to operate for the Hudson River Day Line.

In 1935 and 1936, the Day Line achieved great success with its excursion programs. And in 1937 the Line used their largest steamer HENDRICK HUDSON which was to become an annual event. With her 5,252 passenger capacity, HUDSON was larger than either HAMILTON or FULTON. Because of this, the schedule was altered so that the excursion originated at Indian Point which added Catskill as a landing. The departure times from Newburgh, Poughkeepsie and Kingston Point didn't change and the round trip fare remained at a dollar. The departure time from albany on the return trip was advanced to 4:30 p.m.

Also historic in 1937 was the final port to port passing of HENDRICK HUDSON with the largest nightboat on the river, the BERKSHIRE. This happened on a summer night in August
as the Day Liner left Newburgh shortly after 10 p.m. for its final destination upriver to Indian Point. Thirteen nights after that historic river passing the Night Line terminated service.

  Stmr. HENDRICK HUDSON backing out around the knuckle of the Albany Yacht Club
  on a summer afternoon c.1940.


HENDRICK HUDSON serviced many passengers during the War years since gasoline was rationed to automobile owners. Travel by car was limited, but the steamboat business has stellar years. The total number of passengers rose to 1,431,000 -the highest number since 1930. With so many pasengers traveling the Day Line's upriver excursions to Albany ceased and the Line converted to travel only.

HENDRICK HUDSON operated on the Hudson River between New York and Albany until 1948. She was later scrapped in 1951.

                         The wood model of HENDRICK HUDSON c.1943,  1:160 Scale

Mr. Olcott was a great help providing much of the data for this model. So many individuals whom had a love for these vessels are now departed, but their memories are with us and in these models that I faithfully produce in honor of them. And the histories that these vessels made during their tenure on the river is a tribute that can be preserved within these works for years to come.

For more information about commissioning a fine Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart 

Collectible and Rare -The Steamboat Model /Rex Stewart

When New York celebrated its Hudson-Fulton Event in 2007, followed by the NY 400 Celebration of HALF MOON and Henry Hudson's namesake river, every museum and society between Albany and New York City had exhibitions.

From paintings, photographs and models, to fundraisers and lectures. Everything  river-related was shown. But what many facilities didn't have to support these venues were steamboat models. I reviewed every exhibition in the Hudson Valley and discovered only a few good models were shown from the hundred or so I produced in my studio.

These events indicated that those who owned these small gems did not want to part with them for public exhibition. Also on the antique circuit while showing at Brimfield, MA many buyers desired the NANTUCKET model and, when it was sold others who returned to the booth commissioned models that were from other regions in the Northeast. This event also brought awareness that steamboat models were very much in demand, especially to the connessiour who knew these were rare collectibles.

Exploring further, at auctions, few of these items surfaced and to my awe I learned that a simple folk art model sold for $15,000. Occasionally a high-quality detailed model would enter an auction floor and be swooped up by a knowledgeable buyer/collector. A few of my models were recently sold highend or slightly below their original value which dispell the myth that these aren't in demand as contemporary works.

                                 Antique folk art model of a Mississippi sidewheeler.

If one look upon today's shipmodel industry, it's apparent that there are less than twenty or so good models promoted as kits. Some are expensive and others are moderately priced. When built, depending on how much detail is involved, can become a highend collectible. Yet understand that these are kits. Beyond the kit types are models of another class, the scratchbuilt and folkart divisions. Folk art pieces are those works that are crude in appearance and simplistic in detail. However, because of rarity, these are highly sought after. Many were produced during the heydey of steamboating by crew members who wanted display pieces to remember the vessel they served on.

The highend collectible that would be most desirable to the serious buyer would be the thoroughly researched scratchbuilt model. These are called 'special class' or 'builder's models -the best of the best.

     A rare 'Rex Stewart' model of the famous Hudson River sidewheeler DANIEL DREW
    in the corporate boardroom of Bank Of America. A rare steamboat print accents the
    model.


The more famous the vessel...the fewer built as models...the higher the price. Many dealers won't disclose this, but it's a fact.

At the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. there is a Hudson River Day Line model of HENDRICK HUDSON. That model was donated to the Museum by the Olcott family, owners of that Line. However, one of the family heirs commissioned a model from my studio and that model is today exhibited at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, New York. Seldom are these models at auction and few are made.

In the past twenty years steamboat models have exceeded expectations at auction venues -and models that represent the Northeast Corridor of the USA are quickly bidded upon and sold. Furthermore, those collectors whom I visited either owned a steamboat print or painting and desired a model to accent those heirlooms which, in essence, became a nice balance.

       A rare contemporary diorama showing the island steamer NANTUCKET carrying
       passengers to the mainland as it passes a bouy and catboat on a summer afternoon
       in 1890. Wood-sculpted collectible produced at the studio of the author.

Because steamboat collecting is a new trend, brought about in the 1960s; this unique category is fast becoming a field to watch.

           A 'Rex Stewart' model that sold in New York City at Bonham Auction in April
           2011 for $5,538.00. A wood model that was considered high-quality and one of
           the few in its category to supercede other bids.

Some thirty years ago, after producing over a hundred models, I encouraged investors to acquire them. Not so much because I produced them, but because miniature gems were part of an era fading into the annals of history and becoming an Americana heirloom.

The American steamboat, as we know it, is no longer. The only remnant to the Northeast steamer are the scale models I faithfully produce. They can't be copied or found anywhere except in Central Massachusetts where they are researched and built with blueprint-precision.

These are the highend models of today...a rare and valuable collectible of yesteryear, the steamboat.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart

Steamboats For The Business Executive

                               

     

Over the years I have had the opportunity to introduce my models to business executives (nationally and globally). But in the stead of steamboats, these have been acquired by those in New York, New England and in the south and northeast regions of the United States. 

Today, my models are displayed in companies, corporations, and homes that showcase the breathtaking views of our rivers and waterways here in the Northeast...and abroad. In essence, my namesake is no stranger to the exquisite steamboat models I produce. All which are based on extensive research and painstaking drafting of plans.

                           

This image depict the famed Fall River Line nightboat COMMONWEALTH  shown as she appeared in 1925. At the miniature scale of 1:182, this wood model features indiscriminate detail not found in contemporary models of its class.

New England's Fall River Line was known for its beautiful nightboats which carried luxurious interiors of the day. These large sidewheelers boasted the same elegance as the global steamships that visited international ports of call.

This Hudson River home features two of my models that grace the bookcases of its interior dining room. These steamboats are the ALBANY and MARY POWELL. Both were researched and modeled in their exact appearance of the period -constructed entirely of wood.

What better way to celebrate our maritime heritage than with a ship model of those steamboats that once traveled our industrialized waterways... It's not enough to have a Bard, Jacobsen (or any contemporary painting) gracing the wall without having it accented with a beautiful model of the actual vessel -similar to above supporting photo.

In the images below, I show two ship models of contemporary steamboats of the early 20th century that operated for the notable Hudson River Day Line. These are partial views that focus on the intricate details handcrafted in wood. My scales vary, depending on the client's preference (and need of space)...and no detail is lost -regardless of size.

 This partial portside view show the graceful lines of the HENDRICK HUDSON when first built in 1906. She was the pride of Newburgh, New York -being built at its T.S. Marvel Shipyard for the Hudson River Day Line.

This starboard profile depict the ALEXANDER HAMILTON as she appeared on the Hudson River in 1959. She was the last of the famous Hudson River Day Line steamers to operate on the river between Albany, New York and New York City, ceasing steamboat travel in 1971 with her final excursion to Bear Mountain.

As my credentials grew, I realized executives (along with their wives), were the first to embrace this form of collecting. It was a unique genre being established in the State of New York and New England by businessmen; and to some extent, clergy. Later, galleries, antique dealers, private collectors and others would embrace these momentos of American maritime...even today.

One of my early models of the island steamboat NANTUCKET shown as she appeared in 1895. This was the first of its kind to embrace Nantucket and all of New England during the early 1980s. Business executives were the first to purchase them -followed by collectors and owners of estates in and around the Cape Cod region...Later, due to pirating, I had to change my version to create a new line to show her appearance of 1887 seen in the image below.

 

Stmr. NANTUCKET c.1887 - Detail Wood Model, Scale 1/8" = 1'.

I decided to remain with this version of NANTUCKET c.1887 because of its fresh appearance, knowing that it wouldn't be pirated as the former. Also, my relationship with executives continued to be 'front and center' ...giving a green light to my most recent NANTUCKET ( 1887 version). Not only were replicated models built, but one businessman requested it be placed in a diorama setting shown in the supporting two photographs. 

Stmr. NANTUCKET shown approaching marker bouy as she departs her namesake island enroute to the Mainland.

 

Another view showing a fishing sloop passing portside at NANTUCKET's stern enroute to the island. At the harpooner's station can be seen a young crewman waving to a mother and her daughter on the main deck of the steamboat...Not shown, but featured, are seagulls in flight formation which began to be one of the highlights (and signature) of these current pieces.

Three New England steamboat dioramas were ordered by this executive for his home on Martha's Vineyard. The subjects (all at the same scale) were NANTUCKET, NOBSKA, and NAUSHON.

Below are images of the other two dioramas in his Collection.

Here, a cabin cruiser with sunbathers race the New England steamship NOBSKA off the coastal waters of Massachusetts on a summer afternoon in 1967.  My signature seagulls can be seen in flight at the port bow and starboard stern of the vessel.

Below, a similar scene with the NAUSHON being greeted by Vineyard residents in passing. 

When living in New England those seven years, I took the relocation as an opportunity to explore my creative abilities -channeling whatever I grasped into a worthy portfolio of cultural wealth. There were no limitations (or boundaries). It was a place of peace where I spent the majority of my evenings engaging in dialogues with other artists, gallery owners, business execs and their affiliations, etc., etc.

And, after escorting our daughter to and fro from school, the subtle peace of designing and drafting one of a kind shipmodel plans; along with scratchbuilding the models themselves made my residency all the more worth remaining. I went all out with designing plans of notable steamboats that operated in that region from Connecticut to Maine; and like New York, my credentials traveled.

One of the steamboats that I drafted plans for was the beautiful and elegant PRISCILLA of the Fall River Line. There were two in New England that I witnessed being (fairly large), but I wanted to scale my version down to miniature level so that it could be enjoyed in a corporate office with all the pther trophies of the day; and yet, be large enough to retain all the minute details of  her superstructure and furniture. 

Bow starboard profile below show my PRISCILLA model as she appeared when first built in 1894. The scale of this build is 1:182, giving the model a length of 29 inches.

A few of my profile plans to illustrate the painstaking detail  I discovered (and rendered) while pouring over rare literature and photos associated with these vessels. The plans for these models are exclusive which make the models equally so.

 

Profile plan I drafted on the Hudson River towboat AMERICA as she appeared in 1852.

Profile plan I drafted on the Hudson River steamboat ALBANY as she first appeared in 1892.

I can't express enough how rare these models are. I am indebted to those executives who willingly funded me during the birth of these works. There are no words to express the gratitude. However, I still produce them - and continue to search for those who enjoy them for the sake of their historical prominence, as well as their artistic beauty. In duplication, no two models are alike...and no two colorschemes match. Even the flags have a distinction about them that some attempted to copy.

All in all, these blogs have been collected over the years to pay homage to my ability to research and capture a bygone era that is left to only a remnant of people who can testify of their association with some of the latter boats. But as a whole, steamboating was one of the machines that shaped and cultivated American society...and it was a cultural enterprise that didn't discriminate. I'm living proof through my research and by my works.

Some of you executives/collectors are looking for a specific vessel to add to your collection -or maybe an upstart to a collection. Don't compromise and settle for mediocre when one of the best exist among you.

Feel free to express your concerns (and what you expect). I am a seasoned expert and professional that know the American steamboat as an artist, craftsman and historian. Quality and detail is my forte...and I trust that it's yours as well.

With bank vice present Ron Knoll viewing the steamboat model for his boardroom at Norstar Bank in Albany, New York c.1988.

For further information about my work (and your requests) please send your inquiries to Caseships@yahoo.com or call 774-757-7137 for details. My credentials can be viewed at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart and https://youtube.com/c/RexStewartoriginals. 

Thank you for viewing.