MIT Museum

Major collection: Hart Nautical
Named collection: Arthur H. Clark Collection
Object type: photograph
Maker: King, W. N.
Place made: United States
Date made: 1887
Materials: board; gelatin silver process
Measurements: 14 1/2 in x 16 in; 3 3/4 in x 2 3/4 in
Nomenclature: Ocean Races; schooner yachts; New York Yacht Club
Classification: racing

Nine photographs of the crew of the schooner yacht 'Coronet' on deck during the 1887 trans-Atlantic race against the schooner yacht 'Dauntless.' The manuscript inscriptions on the bottom of the board state that the photographs were from negatives taken by Mr. King who was on board the 'Coronet' as a representative of the New York Yacht Club and documented his experiences. His photographs are considered the first known photographs onboard a racing yacht at sea. In 1887, the owner of the 'Coronet,' bid a challenge "to all keel schooner yachts of American build in order to compare the seagoing and sailing qualities of the keel schooner yachts built and now owned in this country." The schooner yacht 'Dauntless' accepted the challenge. The race gained a lot of attention from the press as the third ever trans-Atlantic race (Sandy Hook Light to Queenstown, Ireland). Under the command of Captain Christopher Crosby, 'Coronet' won the race by 30 hours. For contemporary reports of the match, see: W. N. King, Jr., "The Victory of the Yacht "Coronet"," Outing 10 (1887): 270-278. Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch, The Story of the Sea, vol. 1(Cassell and Company, 1895), 439-446.

CC-T-0084