February 18, 2025
Provided image/Joseph Painter, Courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum
This toy model of the late 19th century steamboat Priscilla is part of the upcoming exhibit at the Independence Seaport Museum.
The Independence Seaport Museum is preparing to unveil a new permanent exhibit of battleships and steamboats that could comfortably fit on a bookshelf.
"Small but Mighty!: Models, Toys and Miniature Ships" will open Thursday, March 20, at the Penn's Landing museum. The display will feature almost 50 models with reference paintings and prints of the real ships that inspired them. The collection spans the early 19th to late 20th centuries.
Some of the star attractions include a 12-foot-long model of the USS Indianapolis, which delivered parts of the atomic bomb that was later dropped on Hiroshima, and a replica of an unidentified British frigate, built out of bone by French prisoners during the Napoleonic wars. Toys that sailed ponds, lakes or just living room floors are also featured. A model of the steamboat Priscilla — built in Chester in 1893 by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works Company — came equipped with wheels so that kids could cruise the toy around the house. Its paper exterior made actual seafaring a bit tricky.
This was less of a problem for the USS Baltimore model in the collection. Manufactured by the German toymaker Märklin, the tin ship was designed with three propellers and a wind-up key mechanism so kids — or, more likely, adults with cash to burn — could sail it across ponds.
Provided image/Joseph Painter, Courtesy of Independence Seaport MuseumThis tin toy model of the USS Baltimore was designed with a wind-up key mechanism and propellers, so it could cruise lakes and ponds.
Artisans crafted most of the miniatures in "Small but Mighty!" by hand using raw materials that required metal casting. This is perhaps most apparent in the 1870s Lizzie tugboat model from Philadelphia jeweler John Dene Benton, made with shiny copper, silver and brass. Though it's unclear which Lizzie inspired it, several tugboats with that name rose out of Wilmington and Philadelphia shipyards.
Visitors will also see half hulls, the scale models used in shipbuilding to ensure symmetry, and mini yachts built for racing on Gustine Lake in Fairmount Park.
Provided image/Joseph Painter, Courtesy of Independence Seaport MuseumA jeweler created this model of the tugboat Lizzie in Philadelphia in the 1870s.
"Guests to the ISM over the years have remarked at the amazing range of ship models, toys and pond models in our permanent collection," Peter S. Seibert, president and CEO of the Independence Seaport Museum, said in a statement. "This new exhibition has given us the opportunity to not only exhibit some of the public’s favorite examples along with many that have rarely ever been shown before. Young and old alike will love exploring these masterpieces of miniature craftsmanship."
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