BONHAMSCHARLES MILLER LTDSaleroom
DAVE SELBYBy all accounts James Gordon Bennett Jr (right) was not a
very good boy at all, but nevertheless he still received a
pretty wonderful toy for his 16th birthday in 1857 in the
shape of a brand-new 77-ton 72-foot yacht, which
probably did not come gift-wrapped.
The American sportsman, playboy and newspaper
owner, whose exploits were so extravagant and
scandalous his name has become an expression
of utter astonishment, was among other things a
super-keen yachtsman (see Saleroom April issue). In fact
in his 16th year he soon got a chance to show off his new
toy with the big boys when he was elected as the
youngest member of the New York Yacht Club.
Rebecca, depicted here off New York, was a centre-
board sloop designed by William Tooker and built by
Westervelt & Co of New York. She was regularly
recorded at or near the top of racing results until 1862
when James Gordon Bennett offered her to the US
government for use in the Civil War. In return President
Lincoln made the young millionaire owner of The New
York Herald a lieutenant in the Revenue Service.
Rebecca’s eventual fate is unknown, though Gordon
Bennett remained an enthusiastic yachtsman and in
between scandalising the world found time to win theGordon Bennett, what a birthday present!
CHARLES MILLER LTD
HMS ‘Victoryn’
An intriguingly mis-named
Admiralty-board model has
emerged on to the market after
remaining in one family’s
ownership since 1830.
The 36-in-long model, built
around 1783, bears the name
‘The Victoryn’ on its stern, but
this is thought to be a simple
typographical error as no such
name appears in Admiralty lists.
Neither is she a model of
HMS Victory.
Based on her form and
two-deck 80-gun layout,
researchers at Charles Miller Ltd
reckon she is Caeser, which was
built in 1793 and served notably in
the blockade of Brest from 1803 to- The finely crafted model is
expected to fetch around £20,000
at Charles Miller Ltd’s 10 May
auction in London.
Take a closer look at more Saleroom lots at classicboat.co.uk/saleroomfirst trans-Atlantic ocean race, as well as sponsoring
and taking part in air, car and balloon races and
sending reporter Henry Morton Stanley to Africa to
find Dr Livingstone in Africa.
This painting (above) of Rebecca by Joseph B
Smith (1798-1876) made £19,250 ($27,500) at
Bonhams’ most recent New York marine auction. C/0 BONHAMSC/0 BONHAMS