A COLLECTION OF ARTEFACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AMERICAN CLIPPER SHIP SURPRISE AND THE RANLETT FAMILY

Comprising an American silver slop bowl, impressed 'Davis Palmer & Co, Boston, Pure Silver' and engraved with the inscription, 'Presented to Capt. Charles A. Ranlett, by the Underwriters on the Ship Susan Drew, Decr 1841', 6in. (15cm.) high, together with a creamer by the same maker and with a similar inscription, 6in. (15cm.) high; an English silver cup, maker unknown, 1830-31, engraved 'Charles Augustus Ranlet, Jan 1st 1876'; a book entitled 'Gracious Lady, The Life of Sara Delano Roosevelt', by Rita Halle Kleeman, 1st edition, 1935, signed by Sara Roosevelt and the author; another book entitled 'Clipper Ships of America and Great Britain, 1833-1869', by Helen La Grange, 1936; 'The American clipper ship, Surprise' an etching, titled lower left, signed illegibly lower right -- 4 x 5½ in. (10 x 13cm.); a daguerreotype of the elder Ranlett’s children, including Charles Ranlett, Jr.; and two handwritten letters to Charles Augustus Ranlett from his mother and his wife, dated 1837 and 1839

(a lot)

Charles Augustus Ranlett (1804-1878) and thence by descent

Charles Augustus Ranlett (1804-1878) and his son and namesake, Charles Augustus Ranlett Jr. (1836-1874) hailed from a Charlestown (Massachusetts) maritime family. Both father and son would in time captain the American clipper ship, Surprise. An early clipper ship, Surprise was built in 1850 to the order of A A Low & Brother. She was built by Samuel Hall of East Boston, with Samuel Hartt Pook as a designer. Although her first voyage was from New York to San Francisco, she spent the majority of her long working life plying the China trade. She set several speed records and was one of the most profitable clipper ships ever built. On one notable voyage she carried the Roosevelt family to Shanghai, a journey described in the biography of the mother of American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Sara Delano Roosevelt, Gracious Lady. She was still trading to the Far East when lost in February 1876 near Yokohama. The Ranlett Family Papers (1791-1948), Series I and II, are housed in the Phillips Library, Peabody and Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Condition Report

1.3 oz kg;/542 gm slop bowl

11 1/8 kg/316 gm creamer

We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of this property. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Charles Miller Ltd is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD “AS IS” IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE.