Raking for Oysters, hand-colored engraving, Ballou’s Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, 1855, is part of the collection of the New London Maritime Society.
What animal survives being frozen; changes gender several times in its lifetime; has no eyes, no ears, and no head? Why it’s the Oyster and it’s awesome. What’s more, it’s also Connecticut’s state shellfish! Based on a book by Penny Parsekian, and illustrated with artifacts on loan from Mystic Seaport and from our own collection, the Awesome Oyster exhibition celebrates the history, natural history and current state for oysters living in Long Island Sound.
Objects in Awesome Oyster range from a foot-long fossilized oyster shell and an elegant 19-century majolica oyster plate (loaned by Mystic Seaport) to archival images of Fair Haven’s renowned ‘sharpie’ oyster-fishing boat, a part of a special display of oyster-related items from the New Haven Colony Historical Society Library.
The exhibition opening takes place Saturday, September 12, from 6 to 8 pm and will remain on view through December. Additional oyster-related special events will be announced soon.
Also opening September 12 is an exhibit culled from our library collection & archives curated by Brian Rogers. A Maritime Sampler: Selections from the Frank L. McGuire Library brings to light some of these rare & rarely-seen treasures. Both exhibits will take place at the Custom House Maritime Museum, 150 Bank Street, New London. For more information, please visit the website nlmaritimesociety.org.
