row2k Features
Interview
The Tom Weil Collection
April 6, 2008
Peter Van Allen

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
1881 The Harvard - Yale boat race trophy for 1881.
1880's Trophy oars from two Jesus College Head of the River eights of which Steve Fairbairn was a member.
1880's Complete set of all 19th century U.S. rowing tobacco cards.
1880's on Caricatures of all [sixty] oarsmen depicted in Vanity Fair (most not shown as oarsmen).
1880's on Photos, color lithographs or wood engravings of the following professional oarsmen: Beach, Bubear, Courtney, East, Gaudaur, Hamm, Hanlan, Hosmer, Laycock, Lowndes, McKay, Morris, O?Connor, Plaisted, Ross, Scharff, Searle, Teemer, Trickett, Wallace.
1882 Both Currier & Ives 'Darktown' rowing caricatures, 'The Champion in Danger' and 'The Champion in Luck.' [M]
1883 Edmond Warre's copy of the limited edition Boat Race commemoration book.
1885 Walter Field?s signed engraving of Henley Regatta. [B]
1887 Both rowing callotype plates from Eadweard Muybridge's famous ANIMAL LOCOMOTION portfolio. [M]
c.1888 Theodore Roussel's etching 'The Steam Launch, Chelsea Embankment.' [B]
1889 Decorated scull blade for Guy Nickalls.
1890's Dickinson and Foster schoolboy rowing series of engravings for Eton, Shrewsbury and Cheltenham. [B]
1890's on Many of the annual reports of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen (est. 1872), sometimes published as the NAAO ROWING GUIDE
1890's on Many of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta
1890 Massive pewter lidded tankard presented to member of victorious Yale crew.
1893 Cased Wingfield Sculls medal.
c.1895 August Donnay?s iconic Belle Epoque regatta poster.
1893-95 Four of the five enormous classic Henley Royal Regatta prints by Dickinson & Foster honoring the rowing gods of the Golden Age, including "The Finish," "Temple Island," "Outside the Leander Enclosure" and "After the Race" (but lacking "The Start") [B]
1896 Reed & Barton silver plate trophy vase for N.E.A.R.A. Senior Eights. [M]
1900's Several silk scarves printed for professional sculling contests.
1903 Pair of sculls used by F.S. Kelly to win the Diamonds.
1906 The Harvard rowing blazer, scarf and hat of R.L. Bacon, Harvard '07, a member of the 1906 boat that lost to Cambridge, and captain [?] of the 1907 crew.
1900's Athlete's participation medals from every Olympics from 1908 to 1996
1910 Hibberd V.B. Kline?s stunning color lithograph triptych 'The Last Mile.'
1916 Cased silver sculls awarded to Eton's best sculler.
1920's Several signed and annotated rowing books from Jack Beresford?s library.
c.1930? Colored linocut/block by Gwendolen Raverat. 'Boat Race / 13' of two Cambridge college eights about to bump rounding Grassy corner.
1930's Several signed or stamped rowing books from Robert Herrick?s library.
1930's on Many Henley Royal Regatta Member's badges
193x/194x Cyril Power?s iconic Vorticist woodcut 'The Eight' (ed. 13/50)
1940's on Most of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race programs.
1950's on Most of the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges Sprints programs
1960's Card with signatures of John B. Kelly, John B. Kelly, Jr. and Princess Grace of Monaco.
1960's on Many of Thomas G. Kudzma?s colorful rowing posters for New England schools and regattas.
1964 Middendorf's 1914-1964 Harvard Henley victory book, inscribed to Harold Rickett by Sen. Leverett Saltonstall.
1960s-70s Julian Trevelyan prints "Henley" [43/75 (1969)] and "Henley Regatta" [34/50 (1979)]
1980?s on Most of the rowing imagery of John Gable, much of it signed or inscribed.
1995 on Numerous items signed by Steve Redgrave and Matt Pinsent
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Comments

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eliasmatthew
08/05/2012  5:22:29 PM
I recently purchased an original Charles Robinson hand colored litho. Hoe can I contact Tom Weil?



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