Deck chair from schooner WANDERER

deck chair

FURNITURE & FURNISHINGS - SEATING
USA, NY, Long Island, Setauket; USA, NY, Port Jefferson; USA, NY, Long Island; USA, NY, New York
Circa 1857
wood; textile
Overall: 34 5/8 x 24 5/8 x 20 3/4 in.

Folding deck chair with decorative wood frame and carved dog head handles; ca. 1857 with later upholstery; used aboard the WANDERER by Capt. Thomas B. Hawkins; gold painted in decorative bevels; woven green and brown upholstery on seat and back rest. Capt. Hawkins designed and supervised construction of the WANDERER; he was one of the early members of the New York Yacht Club, and was the owner of racing yachts including the IRENE, PLOVER, WIDGEON, LAPWING, AND HALCYON.

Captain Thomas Brewster Hawkins (1819–1901) was a renowned American yachtsman, shipbuilder, and sea captain whose maritime career spanned over seventy years. Born in Setauket, Long Island, he took to the sea at sixteen, eventually leading trading voyages across the Northeast. In 1850, he and his brother-in-law John Mather became key figures in the development of Port Jefferson's yacht-building industry, launching acclaimed vessels like the sloop Irene and the schooner Wanderer, the latter gaining notoriety for its later role in the illegal slave trade. His designs, including the Civil War–repurposed Corypheus, were celebrated for speed and innovation. Revered for his seamanship and devotion to the sea, Hawkins once said, “The sea has a life, a personality, a being of its own.” He died in 1901, leaving a lasting legacy preserved today by the Mystic Seaport Museum.

1997.129.14