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row2k Interviews
The Tom Weil Collection
by Peter Van Allen
posted on April 6, 2008
Thomas Weil's rowing collection, split between the Mystic Seaport Museum, the River and Rowing Museum in Henley and his private collection.
Some of Weil's favorite items:
| 90 AD | Marc Antony silver denarius showing an oared galley.
| 1275 | Mss. vellum page from French Bible describing the oarsmen of Tyre.
| 1540 | Lazare de Baif's DE RE NAVALIS, with early wood engravings of oared vessels.
| 1700s on | Periodicals articles relating to rowing dating from early Doggett's contests (1720's) to current events.
| 1775 | Engraved ticket to the first great London water festival at Ranelagh.
| 1775 | Oldest English engraving of a regatta scene, showing the backs of spectators.
| 1790 | First English edition of Euler?s analysis of the physics of rowing.
| 1822 | Oldest print of team rowing, showing Oxford college boats in a bumping race on the Isis.
| 1823 | Second oldest print of team rowing, showing Oxford's Brasenose College crew on the Cherwell.
| 1825 | Newspaper reporting the New York boat race between the Whitehallers and the Staten Islanders
| 1829 | Doggett's Badge, won by
| 1830-40 | Several aquatints of Oxford college boats
| 1831 | 'Westminster Bridge, Surry Shore, the famous view of Searles (and Lyons) boat yard, the initial Leander boat house (both versions).
| 1834 | First English and American (1836) editions of WALKER'S MANLY EXERCISES, the first book of wide circulation to espouse rowing for exercise and pleasure.
| 1836 | 'Eton Beating Westminster,' the oldest, rarest view of this great, early interscholastic contest.
| 1836 | 'The Celebration of the Fourth of June at Eton,' the oldest, finest image of the Procession of the Boats.
| 1837 | Coin silver presentation pitcher by Frederick Marquand of New York awarded to the Erie Boat Club, victors in a five mile race, the earliest American team trophy award of which I am aware.
| 1840s-60s | Boxed diorama of 'Ion' boat club coxed six-oar
| 1840s-90s | Several hundred wood engravings from U.S. and British news magazines.
| 1843 | 'Match Between Eton and Westminster,' possibly the best known image of this rivalry.
| 1843 | Stunning silver Thames Regatta medal
| 1844 | A pewter glass bottom English rowing trophy tankard
| 1845 | 'Print of the Eight-Oared Outrigger,' the only view to show a race between inrigged and outrigged eights, in which Westminster, rowing in the revolutionary new boat, uncharacteristically defeated Eton, racing in a heavier, beamier traditional craft (the print was commissioned by the victorious boat builders).
| 1846 | A silver wherry awarded for pair oar rowing at Henley.
| 1846 | An exquisite hallmarked and engraved silver oar awarded to a victorious Thames Regatta oarsman.
| 1846 | Large silver Lancaster Regatta Borough Cup medal
| 1846 | Folio color lithograph of Coombes race against Cambell, showing the Leander eight with flag and tophats, and a veiled woman coxing a four.
| 1846 | Worcester Regatta race program.
| [1847?] | 'The Flags and Aquatic Costumes of the Boating Societies,' a set of small lithographic images for ready identification of the Cambridge college boat clubs, printed on a long strip of paper and folded concertina style into a pocket size binding.
| [1847] | 'The Flags and Uniforms of the Isis Societies,' a set of small lithographic images for ready identification of the Oxford college boat clubs, printed on a long strip of paper and folded concertina style into a pocket size binding.
| 1848 | A silver wherry awarded for pair oar rowing at Henley.
| 1848 | 'The Final Heat of the Champion Prize at the Thames Grand Regatta,' the finest image of an early Thames team boat race.
| 1850's on | Numerous pewter trophy tankards ("pots"), and silver and plate trophy goblets.
| 1850's on | Medals from many of the principal Henley events
| 1851 | Silver oar awarded at the Staines Regatta.
| c.1852 | All seven rowing scenes from the color lithograph series 'Eton and Oxford - A Few Familiar Scenes.'
| 1852 | Copy of the scarce AQUATIC ORACLE, the first compilation of boat race records, organized by individual competitor rather than by institution (creating a cross-reference nightmare, and quickly abandoned as a useful approach), and divided between gentlemen amateurs and watermen, tradesmen and landsmen.
| 1850?s | Medals (including the 1856 Ladies and Grand) from a crew member of Matt Taylor's revolutionary Royal Chester Boat Club keelless eight.
| 1857 | Copy of the extremely rare OARSMAN'S GUIDE TO THE THAMES by a Member of the Leander Club.
| 1858 | Stereograph of the Matt Taylor eight used by Exeter College at Henley.
| 1858 | Watercolor of the 1858 Oxford Cambridge Boat Race by a member of the Cambridge crew.
| 1858 | Cased silver medal awarded to member of victorious Cambridge Boat Race crew
| 1858 | Putman?s THE ROWER?S MANUAL, and Boat Club Register [cover stamped 1859], the first American book on rowing as a sport.
| 1858 | Railroad sponsored Springfield regatta poster.
| 1859 | Illuminated blade from the Oxford - Cambridge Boat Race.
| 1859 | Albumen portrait of the Yale Atalanta boat club (Class of '61)
| 1859 | Each of 'The Start,' 'The Race' and 'The Procession of the Boats' from the Ryman?s noted series of color lithographs.
| 1859/60 | Three Anthony stereoviews of the July 4, 1859 regatta in New York harbor (?The Battery and Bay Before the Regatta, July 4th, 1859; [the regatta]; Crowd Leaving the Ground After the Regatta, July 4th, 1859?) and [five] Anthony stereoview[s] of the July 4, 1860 regatta in New York harbor ().
| 1859/60 | DePrades? noted steel engraving of the London Rowing Club.
| 1861 | An English professional sculler?s silver arm badge prize.
| 1863 | Large color lithograph of sculling champion Richard Green.
| 18xx | Large color lithograph of sculling champion Robert Chambers.
| 18xx | Large color lithograph of sculling champion Henry Kelly.
| 1865 on | Most of the issues of the BRITISH ROWING ALMANACK (est. 1861)
| 1865 on | Most of the Yale - Harvard boat race programs
| 1865-66 | Quinsigamond race programs, including Yale - Harvard boat races, as well as contests featuring the Biglin brothers, the Ward brothers and Walter Brown.
| 1866 | Peverelly?s sport classic AMERICAN PASTIMES, which describes rowing, yachting, cricket and baseball - and is the first great baseball history text.
| 1867 | Carte de visite of the famous St. John's Paris boat crew.
| 1867 | A medal from the Paris exhibition regatta.
| 1867/9 | Currier & Ives folio color lithograph of Hammill and Brown.
| 1868 | Railroad poster for train service to Quinsigamond regatta.
| 1868 | Stereoview of six-oar crew at Quinsigamond including five Ward brothers.
| 1869 | Carte de visite of the Oxford crew that defeated Harvard.
| 1869 | Currier & Ives color lithograph of "The Great International Boat Race" [Harvard versus Oxford]
| 1870 | Cased silver medal presented to victorious Oxford - Cambridge crew members.
| 1870/1 | Cabinet photo of Renforth's Tyneside crew taken days before Renforth's death in the race.
| 1870's on | Many NAAO (now USRA) championships race programs, including 1876
| 1870's-80's | Numerous silk ribbons printed for Mid West regattas.
| 1871 | Robert Johnson's extremely rare HISTORY OF AMERICAN ROWING.
| 1871 | Photo montage of the Massachusetts crew that won the first U.S. collegiate regatta.
| 1871 | Lipschitz' famous color lithograph of 'The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.'
| 1871 | Walter Greaves' signed etching of 'The Last Chelsea Regatta.'
| 1872 | Carte de visite of the U.S. Atalanta international four-oar crew.
| 1874 | Cabinet photos of the Columbia (victors) and Cornell crews.
| 1876 | Race programs and photographs from the 1876 Centennial celebration and regatta in Philadelphia, including a photo of Bob Cook and the winning Yale four.
| 1876 | Two Centennial Currier & Ives rowing caricatures, ;The Champion Rowist - The Pride of the Club' and 'A Modern College Scull - Graduating with all the honors.'
| 1876 | Illuminated blade from the victors in the Oxford - Frankfurt match.
| 1877 | A rare volume of Henley race records signed by ?Guts? Woodgate.
| 1878 | Elephant broadside for a regatta at Newburg.
| c.1880 | All five rowing plates from Shrimpton's 'Reminiscences of Oxford Varsity Life by An Undergraduate.'
| [1880] | Col lith of Hanlan and Courtney
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