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THBBOX WITH RARE DEPICTION OF THE SEAMEN'S BETHEL, BOSTON, Circa 1840 Height 3". Width 11". Depth 7.5".
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$750 - $950
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About Auction
Live
By Eldred's
Aug 8, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-08 09:30:00
2025-08-08 09:30:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : The Marine Sale: Session II
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/eldreds/the-marine-sale-session-ii-20128
At our Cape Cod headquarters. Eldred's info@eldreds.com
At our Cape Cod headquarters. Eldred's info@eldreds.com
View Full Catalog (260)
- Lot Description
BOX WITH RARE DEPICTION OF THE SEAMEN'S BETHEL, BOSTON
Circa 1840
The Seamen's Bethel in Boston was a Methodist church whose chaplain was the famous preacher Edward Thompson Taylor. Hand-colored wood engraving applied to the top, surrounded by painted borders. Engraving shows the Seamen's Bethel with an oversized ship, possibly the U.S.S. Constitution atop the tower in lieu of a steeple. Interior lined with blue paper.
Height 3". Width 11". Depth 7.5".
Notes:
The non-denominational Seamen's Bethel was established in 1829 by the Port Society, a group of Boston Methodists whose mission was to provide charitable aid and religious services for the city's sailors. The church was located in the city's North End, which was then the heart of the shipping industry, and Edward Thompson Taylor (1793-1871) was hired as Mariner's Preacher.
In the years prior Taylor had been an itinerant preacher, working mostly in coastal towns and seaports of southern New England, and a significant portion of his parishioners were sailors or maritime workers. Having been a sailor himself, Taylor was particularly effective at preaching to these audiences.
During the War of 1812, Taylor shipped aboard the privateer "Curlew", which was captured by the British ship "Acasta" and its crew held at Melville Island. Taylor's fellow prisoners asked the prison commandant to allow him to lead worship services in the prison. In 1817, Amos Binney, Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard and a prominent Methodist layman, recommended Taylor receive formal training.
Taylor was a supporter of religious tolerance and often preached about temperance, given the rampant alcohol abuse amongst mariners. In conjunction with the Seaman's Aid Society, a women's charitable organization that assisted the Seamen's Bethel and supported sailors' wives and families, Taylor opened the Mariners House, a temperance boarding house for sailors. (Of note, The Seaman's Aid Society was founded by Sarah Josepha Hale, known as "Mother of Thanksgiving" for her campaign to establish the national holiday.)
Taylor was one of Boston's most popular preachers, attracting commendations from Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman and Jenny Lind, amongst others.
In 1847, Taylor served as chaplain of the U.S. frigate "Macedonian", which provided relief to Ireland during the famine, and he may have been the inspiration for Father Mapple in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick". He retired from the pulpit in 1868.
Additional information about the Seamen's Bethel is included with the lot.The absence of a condition report does not imply an object is free of defects. All items may have normal signs of age and wear commensurate with their age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact Eldred's before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction.Condition
- Shipping Info
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SHIPPING: We require prompt payment and removal of your purchases as stated in Paragraph 12 of our Conditions of Sale. Arrangements to pick up or ship your purchases must be made within seven (7) days from the close of the auction. All items must be removed from Eldred's facilities within fourteen (14) days of the close of the auction. All items remaining after fourteen days may be subject to a $5/per item/per day storage fee. No items will be released unless storage fees are paid in full. Items remaining over thirty (30) days from the close of the auction may be sold for the buyer's account minus auction and storage fees. SHIPPING OF PURCHASES Shipping is not included in the purchase price. Eldred's is happy to help coordinate and recommend shipping agents. PICK-UP OF PURCHASES If you plan to pick up your purchases, please call ahead and we'll make every effort to have your items ready. Items in this auction may be located at an outside storage facility, so please call ahead.
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