Steamboat Model ALEXANDER HAMILTON c.1959 -The Build

        Hudson River steamboat ALEXANDER HAMILTON approaching Albany, New York
       via the Dunn Memorial Bridge c.1959.

Steamboat models have become one of the most rare and highly sought after commodities in today's collectible market, both nationally and internationally. After investigating and researching the trends over a twenty year period, nothing from this observation is further from the truth.

And if these models are built with blueprint precision they, infact, become more sought after by serious maritime collectors...
which is why my line of models are highly
accredited for their presentation and accuracy.

My start with steamboats began in the summer of 1980 when the President of Albany International Corp. proposed to purchase a model of the steamer MARY POWELL from the Albany Institute of History and Art. The proposal was declined -as the model was part of the Governor's home decor, on loan from the Museum. To this end, several business executives learned about my modelmaking skills (from local media sources), especially when I received a grant from the Mayor to work at the Albany City Arts Office that same year.

And though 'fine art' was produced in that facility, the steamboat models originated on the other side of town in the basement of the Albany Institute of History and Art -the place where I studied adult courses as a youth during the '60s. And so, it was there that the exclusive one-of-a-kind steamboat model was birthed.

         The SIDEWHEELER Newsletter which was published in the Summer of 1976 by
          the Committee To Save The Alexander Hamilton.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON was a beautiful vessel known to many on the Hudson River as the "White Swan". I could never understand why she inherited that name, but after viewing many photos and angles of her appearance, I realized the meaning. She literally 'glided' along the river and her sleek appearance was indeed graceful, swan-like. Those who sailed her were fortunate. I could only get to view her stacks and billowing smoke as she passed beneath our window from the view we had of her from Capital Hill. On Phillip Street we had a visual of both Rennselaer and the river, so it wasn't difficult to miss this vessel or the sound of her whistle as she passed.

In 1974, three years after the steamboat ceased running on the Hudson, a small group was formed and called the Steamer Alexander
Hamilton Society. These individuals, through
lectures, fundraisers and memberships,
worked diligently to save the vessel from
distinction.

By 1976, through the Society's efforts, the steamer was officially listed by the State of New Jersey as a historic site. In April the following year she gained National Register status only to lose federal funding when a hurricane sanked her at her pier that November of 1977. It was a great loss to the Hudson River Valley and to the maritime community at large.

As a modelbuilder of these great vessels, I have dedicated my time and talent to preserving these timeless steamboats in various scales for future generations. Unquestionably, I have honed my skills to this artform because it has never been fully tapped or explored. And what few models do exist, none can rival the degree of research or workmanship I have placed in these pieces which are, in essence, highend collectibles.

I owe, first and foremost, The Lord for my wisdom to investigate this genre of art. Secondly, I owe much of my learning experiences concerning the steamboat to many of those who are now departed -the authors, curators, collectors and rivermen whom either owned these vessels, worked on them or amassed a brilliant collective body of rare photos that they were willing to share which, inpart, escalated my growth as the leading builder of the Hudson River steamboat.

These photos show my approach building the

ALEXANDER HAMILTON from its early stages to its final completion. The model is made from four sources of wood, re: pine, bass, balsa and birch. Balsa is used for the framework to keep decks flush and alligned.


The time to plan and construct this model took an overall period of two and a half months. This is, inpart, due to the research that was involved and the minute detail requested by the collector. Normally a model of this scale would take less time, but this individual wanted the HAMILTON at a period where he remembered both her design, color and configurations. These particular models have a higher value because they are documented miniatures of a period that's not 'general'.
He places her in a period of the year 1959, so research is eminent.

               Shown here are the scratchbuilt floating rafts -handcarved and the interior
               grating individually cut out with a pen-knife.

            All basswood decks are precisely marked and scaled so that cabin work and
          deck furniture allign properly. All decks are pre-cut so that no mistakes are made
          during the build.

         The hull. This is where it all begins. The hull must be 'perfect' and flush in order to
         get the model looking like the real vessel. At least four to six hours are invested in 
        sanding and finishing the hull. Anytime past this, the wood is bad and must be discard-
        ed.

                My time-tested method of building...
              Models that I built 30 years ago still has their fresh look today. But those are
              considered antiques, where my current works are now relinquished to be, by
              professional standards, collectibles.

         This bow starboard view show the sleek and beautiful lines of this prolific steamer
        as she appeared in 1959.

              This portside overhead view show all the detail ALEXANDER HAMILTON
             carried that year. The flags are handpainted, folded and treated with acrylic
             so to keep its longevity.

          Stern port view of the "White Swan" as she was called by her fellow travelers.

The final presentation, the ALEXANDER HAMILTON in 3/32" Scale. This wooden steamboat model is the result of many painstaking hours viewing photos, plans of which I had to alter
to achieve the proper configurations.

In closing, let it be said that this steamboat was in a class of her own. memorable to all whom traveled on her during her 48 years of service. She was the last steamboat to operate on the Hudson River, serving well over 5 million passengers between Albany and New York City -ceasing her career in 1971 with her final run to Bear Mountain in the Lower Hudson Valley.

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

Building the WASHINGTON IRVING c.1913 -A Wood Model

                 Steamer WASHINGTON IRVING heading up the Hudson River enroute
               to Albany, New York c.1921


Though I have enjoyed building accurate models of various marine craft, nothing has been more exciting or captivating in concept as that of the American steamboat.  My first humble beginnings to modelmaking began with a small Pyro kit of Henry Hudson's HALF MOON.
That was the introduction to the Hudson River and the great history of travel, commerce and its scenic views which were second to none.

As my interest developed concerning the river's maritime, my skills paralleled. Over time I would become the leading modelmaker and producer of Northeast steamboats; particularly those of Hudson River renown.


WASHINGTON IRVING was a steamboat that many SSHSA members brought to my attention during the early professional years.
Author Donald C. Ringwald, writer of the book "The Mary Powell", often mentioned the possibility of a model but always placed emphasis on the IRVING. However, it was Donald Eberle, former President of SSHSA, that commissioned the work.

I would later learn that she was the flagship of the Hudson River Day Line.

She was launched in 1912 at Camden, New Jersey by the New York Shipbuilding Company.
Her keel was 405 feet long with an overall length of 416 feet. She had an extreme beam of 84 feet over the guards, and her hold was 24 feet deep. Her gross tonnage was 3,104 and her engine was constructed by W. and A. Fletcher Company of Hoboken, New Jersey.

Destined exclusively for dayboat service between New York City and Albany, WASHINGTON IRVING was the largest and most exquisitely furnished inland steamer in the world. Her passenger capacity at that time was 6,000. She ran in line with the other fleet vessels of renown "MARY POWELL", "ALBANY", "ROBERT FULTON", and "HENDRICK HUDSON".

                      Sinking of the Day Line stmr. WASHINGTON IRVING, June 1926

On June 1, 1926 WASHINGTON IRVING left her Desbrosses Street Pier in New York bound for Albany with 200 passengers in a fog-filled harbor.

Visibility was very poor and the large steamer kept her whistle at short bursts to warn other pilots of her departure. The tug THOMAS E. MORAN of the Moran Towing Company was hauling two oil barges when one of them collided into IRVING's portside wheelhouse aft of its paddlewheel. The accident forced Captain David H. Deming to tie down his whistle for the purpose of summoning aid from other craft in the harbor.

The continuous blast of WASHINGTON IRVING's whistle immediately brought a dozen vessels to her side. As she took in water, the ill-fated Dayliner reached a pier on the Jersey side of the river. There, passengers were able to race swiftly for safety -to the loss of life to a mother and child.

WASHINGTON IRVING sank along side the pier -coming to rest at the end of the Holland Tunnel. The following year she was raised and six years later she was scrapped , ending her short-lived service of 14 years.

There were many steamboats that met tragic fates, but none so horrific as the burning of GENERAL SLOCUM on the East River in New York City or the sinking of New England's PORTLAND off Block Island with
all loss of life.

Given these tragedies, steamboating was still a bustling business and a safe way to commute. As both historian and artist/craftsman, I'm obligated to produce detailed works of these once magnificent vessels. WASHINGTON IRVING being no exception.

After much refined research, I started to scale down the little details and reconfigure the plan profile that was lent to me by the SSHSA President. From thse resources I was able to build a beautiful miniature of the Day Line flagship.

                 Hudson River Day Line WASHINGTON IRVING c.1913, Wood Model

Detail, whether large or small, has always been the focal point to my building. I decided to construct the IRVING as she appeared in 1913 because of the significance of her lines.
Steamboats were always changing with various alterations done to them. To really appreciate a vessel, it is pertinent to investigate its history and utilize what resources are available to bring out the best appearance. This, in my professional opinion, was her best presentation.

                                             WASHINGTON IRVING -Bow Profile

I truly learned much from constructing this work, and continue to unravel more history as I build. This is the beauty of being a historian and it's a double blessing when a skill can be added -such as modelmaking.

There's really little that can be said when viewers and collectors observe these miniatures.
These are accurate renditions of the actual vessels and I'm honored to bring them into 'today' -something that can be visualized in three dimensional form rather than being limited to the pages and canvases of history.

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.