Log of the Whaleship Acushnet - photo 1
Log of the Whaleship Acushnet - photo 2

Log of the Whaleship Acushnet

Sold
$ 9 450
Auction dateClassic
14.09.2022 10:00UTC -04:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
USA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 797309
Lot 670 | Log of the Whaleship Acushnet
WHALING – BOWLES, Resolvid W. "Log of the Whaling Ship Acushnet, Captain W. B. Rogers, out N[ew] B[edford] two years voyage." 18 July 1845-5 November 1847 [but later].

Manuscript account of a voyage of the whaler Acushnet, on which Melville had previously served. This log, taken by the ship’s cooper Resolvid Bowles, includes charming illustrations, with careful drawings of ships, whale species, and geographic views. The manuscript seems to have made after the voyage, perhaps copied later by a different individual; it is written on single sheets of paper adhered to a printed copy of Rowlett's Tables of Discount, and recounts the sometimes dramatic happenings on board the Acushnet, as well as descriptions of the places visited including the city of Lima, Peru and the Hawaiian islands, and several (possibly original?) poems or shanties. The Acushnet was the whaler onto whose crew Herman Melville had signed in 1840; the experiences and personalities he encountered there helped form the basis for Moby-Dick. The Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum also holds a manuscript log of this voyage, with very striking watercolor illustrations, although of anonymous authorship (item 1234).

Folio. Hand-drawn frontispiece of ship with manuscript title, 40 handwritten numbered sheets mounted to each side of pages from a printed copy of Rowlett's Tables of Discount, or Interest, on Every Dollar, with an additional leaf laid in labeled IA and IB with drawings of whales (some leaves detached, dampstaining around edges and paper toned). Contemporary half sheep over marbled boards (spine perishing, sewing coming undone). Provenance: J.D. Sturtevant, New Bedford (signatures on flyleaves; perhaps a local businessman; a man of this name is recorded as the witness of several crew-mates of Melville on the same ship).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
01.09.2022 – 14.09.2022
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.