Mediumink on paper
DimensionsFramed: 25 1/4 x 58 3/4 x 1 1/4 in. (64.1 x 149.2 x 3.2 cm)
Object number1972.9
Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum
DescriptionOne hull draught of a sailing vessel in the early 19th century. Sepia ink on paper. Draught, or lines plan believed to have been drawn for the ship Hillman built at the Jethro and Zachariah Hillman Brothers shipyard in New Bedford in 1851. Drawing is possibly much earlier and of an armed vessel. Drawn by the master shipwright draughts were one of the first steps in building a ship. Through a highly skilled process they were used to transfer the design components of the vessel to their full working size resulting in thin wooden patterns. With these patterns in hand, the carpenters could begin selecting trees and hewing timber to begin building the hull. The process is called “lofting.” The patterns are called “moulds” and the work took place in a roomy space called a “mould loft”. ProvenanceThe draught was made by Zachariah Hillman, great-grandfather of the donors and a noted shipwright in New Bedford, MA.
On View
Not on view1745-1925
1725-1960
Norman Fortier*
