THE PENOBSCOT

Probably executed in Maine circa 1890.  Offered together with a large photograph of the original ship. 2 pieces.

Fred Giampietro, New Haven, Connecticut

With wear, some lines and rigging are loose, with minor touch ups
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. 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 Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The sidewheeler Penobscot ran between Boston, Bangor, and the Lubec-Eastport area in far Downeast Maine during the early decades of the twentieth century. She was owned by the Eastern Steam Ship Co., which was founded in 1901 and provided transportation from New York and Boston to New England. The ship, one of the line’s so-called “great white flyers,” was named after the Penobscot Indians, who have inhabited the region for more than 11,000 years. Although Bangor, Maine’s central port city and the former “lumber capital of the world,” lies thirty miles up the Penobscot River, its seventeen-foot tides made it accessible to even the largest steamships, including the Penobscot. The river, which is Maine’s largest, feeds into Penobscot Bay, an historic forty-mile long, fifteen-mile wide cruising and fishing ground that is scattered with more than 200 islands, many of which have attracted summer visitors since the 1800s.