Category: Modern(ish)

Champagne galore found on Baltic shipwreck

Modern(ish)

The wreck of a 19th sailing ship still loaded with its cargo of champagne, wine, mineral water and porcelain has been discovered in the Baltic off the Swedish island of Öland. The Baltictech diving group, a Polish association of divers dedicating to exploring shipwrecks in Baltic waters,

The sonar images were unremarkable (the wreck looked like a fishing boat, at most), so much so that there was some doubt whether any of the divers would think it was worth exploring. Two divers agreed to give a quick once-over. They ended up being gone for two hours, so the crew realized it was definitely not a fishing boat.

Instead, the wreck proved to be a merchant vessel in excellent condition, much of its original cargo still in place. There were so many bottles it was difficult to estimate total numbers.

“The whole wreck is loaded to the brim with crates of champagne, mineral water and china,” Tomasz Stachura, the leader of the Baltictech diving group, told AFP.

He said: “I have been diving for 40 years and it often happens that there is one bottle or two … to discover a wreck with so much cargo, it’s a first for me.”

Divers counted more than 100 bottles of champagne and baskets full of the famous Selters mineral water in sealed stoneware bottles. The shape of the bottles and design of the stamp indicate the water was bottled between 1850 and 1867.

The Baltictech group has notified the Swedish authorities about the shipwreck. They will not attempt recovery of any of the champagne or mineral water until they get the go-ahead from Sweden.

“[The ship] had been lying there for 170 years so let it lie there for one more year, and we will have time to better prepare for the operation,” Stachura said.

Five musket balls “heard round the world” found at Concord

Modern(ish)

Archaeologists excavating Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts, have discovered five musket balls fired by the colonial militia against the British in the first battle of the Revolutionary War on April 19th, 1775. The musket balls were unearthed by National Parks Services archaeologists at the North Bridge battle site, famed as the place where the colonial militia were for the first time ordered by their leaders to fire on British soldiers.

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who coined the phrase “The shot heard round the world” to describe the militia firing on the regulars at North Bridge in his 1837 poem “Concord Hymn.” The first shots on that day actually took place on Lexington Green at 5 AM. It was a chaotic and brief scuffle triggered when a shot of unknown source was fired and the British infantry charged the militia. The militia company’s commander, Captain Parker, had no intention of engaging the regular troops and ordered his men to disband when he saw the regulars approach. The British attacked quickly, bayonetting the militia men on the green and shooting at them when they retreated.

The clash at North Bridge took place at 9:30 that morning. The British troops were deployed to secure the bridge to prevent any rebels from sneaking out of town, and so they could cross it seeking armaments and supplies at Barrett’s farm a mile away. At first the militia were outnumber 3:1, but while the regulars were searching Barrett’s farm, colonial officers were getting reinforcements and when the two sides met at the bridge, the militia outnumbered the regulars.

The militia were ordered not to fire unless fired upon, and fired upon they were. Major John Buttrick gave the fateful order to fire back, and the British line broke. Twelve British soldiers and four officers were hit. Three of the soldiers were killed. One militia officer and one private were killed and four others wounded.

The musket balls were discovered by archeologists conducting compliance activities in preparation for the park’s Great American Outdoors Act project. The musket balls were found in an area where, according to contemporary accounts, British soldiers formed up to resist the river crossing. Further analysis of the musket balls indicates that each one was fired from the opposite side of the river and not dropped during the process of reloading.

“It’s incredible that we can stand here and hold what amounts to just a few seconds of history that changed the world almost 250 years ago,” said Minute Man Park Ranger and historic weapons specialist Jarrad Fuoss. “These musket balls can be considered collectively as ‘The Shot Heard Round the World,’ and it is incredible that they have survived this long. It is also a poignant reminder that we are all stewards of this battlefield and are here to preserve and protect our shared history.”

The balls will go on display Saturday, July 13th, at Minute Man National Historical Park.

National Portrait Gallery acquires earliest known photo of a First Lady

Modern(ish), Museums

The National Portrait Gallery has acquired a daguerreotype of Dolley Madison that is the first known photograph of a US First Lady. The recently-rediscovered portrait emerged from an East Coast private collection when it was sold at auction at Sotheby’s New York on June 28th. The National Portrait Gallery bought the picture for $456,000. Mrs. Madison’s image now joins the earliest surviving original photograph of a US President, an 1843 daguerreotype of John Quincy Adams, acquired by the NPG in 2017.

The likeness of the former First Lady was taken by photographer John Plumbe Jr. in 1846 when Dolley Madison was 78 years old. We know from her visitors logs that Plumbe called on her at her Washington D.C. home on February 22, 1846. She likely visited his studio in the spring to have this portrait taken, as Plumbe displayed a portrait of Dolley Madison along with ones he had taken of Presidents James Polk, John Quincy Adams and James Buchanan in an exhibition in May of 1846.

An immigrant from England, Plumbe arrived in the United States in 1821 and worked as a surveyor and later a railroad engineer. He moved to Wisconsin in 1836 when it was still a territory, and he was the first person to advocate for a transcontinental railroad, lobbying through the Wisconsin territorial delegate. His lobbying bore rapid fruit and in 1838 Congress funded the construction of a railroad from Milwaukee to Mississippi, a key step in what would become the rail system linking the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States.

He turned to photography in 1840, a mere year after its invention by French chemist Louis Daguerre, as a means to finance his ambitious railroad plans. He was incredibly successful right away. By 1841 he had studios in three cities. By 1843 he had studios in eight cities. By the time Mrs. Madison sat for him, there were Plumbe studios in more than 18 cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, St. Louis and Cincinnati.

The Plumbe National Daguerreian Gallery opened in Washington, D.C. in 1844. He was the first professional photographer in the capital. The same year Dolley sat for him, he also took the first known photographic images of the U.S. Capitol, capturing it with its original copper-clad wood dome which was basically a copy of the Pantheon’s in Rome, complete with oculus to let it in the light. (The much larger cast iron dome in place now was added in the late 1850s.)

The quarter plate daguerreotype of Dolley Madison captures her dark curls peeking out from under her turban, a signature look that she wore for decades. She wears a striped crocheted shawl over her dress, and the fine details stand out almost in 3D relief. A slight curl to her lip conveys the wit and humor that made Dolley such a glittering figure in Washington, D.C. society. People didn’t typically smile for pictures in those days, so her little wry grin stands out all the more.

The daguerreotype is still in its original case, an embossed burgundy leather with gilt details. Plumbe had a related business manufacturing daguerreotype cases, and the lining of this case is letterpressed with the manufacturing markings: “Manufactured at the Plumbe National Daguerrian Depot, New York.”

Madison is credited with creating the role of First Lady as it is known today. Raised by a Quaker family in Philadelphia, she was naturally vivacious and outgoing, and she cultivated strategic friendships with male politicians and their wives. Prior to her husband James Madison’s presidency (1809–1817), she served as an honorary hostess for President Thomas Jefferson, which prepared her for taking on the role when her husband entered the office. The House of Representatives granted Madison an honorary seat on the floor whenever she chose to attend its sessions. Madison’s charisma and intelligence charmed the most hard-hearted politicians, making the lively Wednesday-night receptions she held at the White House the epicenter of Washington society. Her influence straddled political and social circles. At her funeral in 1849, President Zachary Taylor praised Madison as “the first lady of the land for half a century,” coining the term “First Lady” used today.

This unique daguerreotype of Madison is a significant portrait in American history, women’s history and the history of photography. The new acquisition joins the Portrait Gallery’s collection of nearly 230 portraits of First Ladies and more than 1,800 likenesses of U.S. Presidents.

Smithsonian acquires, digitizes largest collection of Charleston Slave Badges

Modern(ish), Museums

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has acquired 146 rare Charleston Slave Badges, the largest and most complete set known. It contains one badge for every year between 1800 and 1865, and the only two badges known that were stamped with the name of the enslaved person.

Almost half of all the enslaved Africans shippped to North America landed in South Carolina ports, many of them destined to backbreaking labor on the lowcountry rice plantations. Charleston became one of the richest countries in the world by raking in immense profits from the trade in and use of slave labor.

Some Charleston enslavers looked to amplify their profits by leasing out their enslaved skilled tradesmen. Porters, carpenters, mechanics, fruiters, blacksmiths, masons and more were contracted to work for private individuals and in infrastructure projects for the city with all profits of course going to the enslavers. Established in 1783 to distinguish enslaved people from free Black people, the city instituted a badge system. The leased slaves wore badges stamped with the badge number, the city, “Charleston,” the laborer’s professional and the year. Free Blacks had to register their status and wear badges as well. All badges had to be sewn into their clothing, then renewed yearly by the city clerk.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture acquired the collection in 2022 from Harry S. Hutchins, Jr., who had spent 30 years amassing these rare objects into a uniquely tangible testament to the skills of enslaved people who literally built Charleston. To share the history of these individuals with the world, the museum has digitized the badges and created a Searchable Museum with high-definition photographs of the badges and explanations of their contexts and historical significance.

“We are honored to share the story of enslaved African Americans who contributed to building the nation,” said Mary Elliott, NMAAHC museum curator. “It is a story that involves the juxtaposition of profit and power versus the human cost. The story sheds light on human suffering and the power of the human spirit of skilled craftspeople who held onto their humanity and survived the system of slavery, leaving their mark on the landscape in more ways than one.”

Through this digital offering, visitors can engage with the objects and learn about the legislated system of leased enslaved labor in Charleston, South Carolina, those who profited from the system and how enslaved African Americans navigated the landscape of slavery using their abilities, skills and intellect. In addition to providing the history of Charleston Slave badges, the new Searchable Museum feature will provide insight into collecting, archaeology, the role of vocational training and the meaning of freedom.

35 18th c. glass bottles unearthed at Mount Vernon

Modern(ish)

The excavation of the cellar of George Washington’s Virginia mansion Mount Vernon has uncovered 35 glass bottles from the 18th century stored in five different pits. An astonishing 29 of them are still intact and, like the two bottles found earlier this year, they contain preserved fruit. There are cherries and some smaller berries, likely gooseberries or currants.

It was already a significant find when two intact, sealed glass bottles of European manufacture were found in the cellar in April. The contents turned out to be cherries, stems and pits included, preserved in a liquid. They were so well-sealed that the cherries were still fragrant.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine this spectacular archaeological discovery,” said Mount Vernon President & CEO Doug Bradburn. “We were ecstatic last month to uncover two fully intact 18th-century bottles containing biological matter. Now we know those bottles were just the beginning of this blockbuster discovery. To our knowlege, this is an unprecedented find and nothing of this scale and significance has ever been excavated in North America. We now possess a bounty of artifacts and matter to analyze that may provide a powerful glimpse into the origins of our nation, and we are crossing our fingers that the cherry pits discovered will be viable for future germination. It’s so appropriate that these bottles have been unearthed shortly before the 250th anniversary of the United States,” Bradburn said.

The bottles have been underground since before the American Revolution. They were left behind when George Washington left his estate in a rush in May 1775 after the first of the American Revolutionary War were fired at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Wearing his military uniform, he joined the Second Continental Congress which just over a month later created the Continental Army and appointed Washington as its “General and Commander in chief.” Obviously the pickled and preserved fruits in his cellars were not foremost on his mind, nor, oddly enough given the deprivations of war, on the minds of the family he left behind and the phalanx of enslaved people who grew, harvested, cooked, preserved and managed the estate’s food.

Mount Vernon Principal Archaeologist Jason Boroughs said, “These extraordinary discoveries continue to astonish us. These perfectly preserved fruits picked and prepared more than 250 years ago provide an incredibly rare opportunity to contribute to our knowledge of the 18th-century environment, plantation foodways, and the origins of American cuisine. The bottles and contents are a testament to the knowledge and skill of the enslaved people who managed the food preparations from tree to table, including Doll, the cook brought to Mount Vernon by Martha Washington in 1759 and charged with oversight of the estate’s kitchen.”

Examination under a microscope has already revealed interesting details, like that the cherries were harvested by being cut off the branches with shears and the stems left attached for bottling. Analysis has found that these were tart cherries; the higher acid contents likely aided in their preservation. Researchers believe they are good candidates for DNA retrieval, and hope to compare them against a database of known heirloom varieties to identify their species. They’re also looking at the pits to see if any of them might actually be capable of germinating. I wonder if George Washington’s resurrected cherries would sell out as quickly as his resurrected whiskey did.

Those are just preliminary results. The contents of the bottles will be analyzed thoroughly by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.

Here is a cool timelapse of the excavation of one of the groups of bottles.