An Old Ship, in an Old Bottle, made by an Old Fisherman.
This is a family heirloom handed down from my Mother side of the family and I thought it would make a good picture and story. I had a problem capturing it, as the light was shining on various parts of the round curved bottle but this turned out to be the best in the end.
My Mother was born on the south coast of Devon and her forbearers were from sea fishermen. This ship in a bottle was made by my Great Grandfather and had taken him months to make and then carefully raise the masts.
If you look closely to the bowsprit, that's the long spar that sticks out the front on the right, it is in fact broken and bent. The story goes that he was so pleased to have finished that he banged the cork in with his hand and didn't realise that the cork was long enough to break the spar, he was so upset he just sealed it up with old tape and left it.
View with the black background and it will enlarge it.
Oh this hot brings back so many memories for me. My Mom had a ship in a bottle that had a long & storied history. It has been beaten up a bit over the years but it holds a prominent place in my china cabinet. Thanks for this shot which allowed me a walk down memory lane.
What a wonderful capture and story for me to enjoy during my lunch break. Even though your ancestor may have been upset over the broken spar, it certainly doesn't lessen the value, which I'm sure is priceless. A fav for me!
These are really cool. Nice family heirloom. I remember my Uncle collecting these when he was a kid (he's just three years older than me). It was at one time a huge hobby for many years. Nice comp and POV.
Neat capture and family heirloom. Love the bottle. I feel bad for your great grandfather. All that work and after a moment of joy he was left with happiness.
What a story. I can imagine his anguish and disgust. But I don't imagine he envisaged his great grandchild sharing his story with the world via something like the Internet.
What a great story and a wonderful heirloom. I agree with what Margaret says he would never have envisaged how well know it would become. Does it have name?
