THEN1: The three-masted USS Constitution (far center) sails in Elliott Bay in mid-1933 as part of a three-year tour of 76 ports. This west-facing view looks down Yesler Way from the Smith Tower. Skylights are visible on the Pioneer Building, as is (bottom center) the “Seattle” top of the sign for the old Seattle Hotel, site of today’s sinking-ship parking garage. Flaws at right could indicate the photo was taken inside a window. (University of Washington Special Collections)NOW1: This view, from midway up the Smith Tower, matches the vantage of the 1933 photo. (Jean Sherrard)
Published in The Seattle Times online on Dec. 1, 2022
and in PacificNW Magazine of the printed Times on Dec. 4, 2022
Treasure and mystery set sail in yard-sale images from 1933
By Clay Eals
When unexpected photographic treasures arise, sometimes they bear more than a modicum of mystery.
John Gerhard, a retired Boeing intellectual-property manager who lives in West Seattle, went on one of his usual prowls last summer, combing yard sales for finds. On a table at a house bordering Admiral Way, spilling out of an envelope was a set of 12 thin items, tiny and shiny.
They were medium-format photo negatives from long ago. Squinting while holding each one skyward, he discovered a negative with an airborne perspective of downtown and boat-packed Elliott Bay, backed by the West Seattle peninsula.
Gerhard grinned.
The seller, Caty Burt, had purchased the negs at a Georgetown sale years earlier but knew nothing about them. Gerhard asked her if he could donate them to University of Washington Special Collections, where he has volunteered for six years and which has a ships collection. Sure, she said.
The images centered on the 1797 warship USS Constitution, better known as Old Ironsides because, while it sank a British vessel during the War of 1812, its thick, oak hull survived a barrage of cannonballs. Restored, it toured 76 ports for three years starting in 1931. Its Seattle visit from May 31 to June 14, 1933, drew an astounding 201,422 visitors. Today, it’s on permanent exhibition at the Boston Naval Shipyard.
Of the 12 negatives, only one had the helicopter view, having been taken from the West Coast’s then-tallest building, the Smith Tower. Seen looking east down Yesler Way, the 2,200-ton, 175-foot, three-masted USS Constitution stands out among fishing boats, tugs, small craft and even a ferry.
THEN2: This image of the stern was John Gerhard’s first clue that the 12 negatives he acquired at a yard sale depicted the U.S. Constitution, aka Old Ironsides, while in Seattle in 1933. (University of Washington Special Collections)
Gerhard had no prior knowledge of the famous frigate. But he got up to speed after spotting, in another of the negatives, the ship’s name on its stern.
NOW2: With an archivist’s white gloves, John Gerhard examines one of the 12 negatives he acquired last summer at a West Seattle yard sale. This one shows the stern of the USS Constitution, which bears its name. (Clay Eals)
Six of the images depict Old Ironsides hosting tours while anchored at Pier 41 (now 91) at Magnolia’s Smith Cove, where cruise ships dock today.
One even reveals, in the distance, the remains of West Seattle’s Luna Park Natatorium, destroyed by fire in 1931.
THEN3: Docked at Pier 41 (now 91) at Magnolia’s Smith Cove, the USS Constitution takes on a lineup of visitors. A total of 201,422 toured the frigate during its two-week stay in Seattle. (University of Washington Special Collections)
But riddles remain: Who took the photos?
The negatives are unmarked. They include four images of a model sailboat. One of them shows a man examining a camera, seemingly about to photograph the model. Did he take the other 11 photos? He’s standing in front of a Spanish-style, stucco home near a bluff. Where was this house?
THEN4: Who is this man, shown with a medium-format camera, possibly about to photograph a model sailboat, and where are the house and front lawn where he is standing? The set of 12 negatives is unlabeled. (University of Washington Special Collections)
Gerhard speculates the guy was an engineer, interested in the mechanics of vessels. Perhaps, like Gerhard, he worked at Boeing?
“There’s a story here,” says Gerhard, a determined sleuth.
Can any of you come aboard with more details?
WEB EXTRAS
Special thanks to Lisa Oberg and John Gerhard for their help with this installment!
With an archivist’s white gloves, John Gerhard examines one of the 12 negatives he acquired last summer at a West Seattle yard sale. This one (see THEN3 above) shows the USS Constitution docked at Smith Cove while visitors queue to climb aboard. (Clay Eals)Another view of the mysterious model sailboat, with a peek at further clues to the neighborhood. (University of Washington Special Collections)Another view of visitors lined up to board the USS Constitution at Pier 91 at Magnolia’s Smith Cove in June 1933. In the background can be seen the remains of the Luna Park Natatorium, destroyed by fire in 1931. (University of Washington Special Collections)Another image from one of the 12 negatives, this one a total mystery. Where was it taken, by whom and of what relevance is it to the others? (University of Washington Special Collections)The USS Constitution in Elliott Bay, 1933. (Lynn Couch of Olympia)Collector’s cover from Anacortes. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)Collector’s cover from Bellingham. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)Collector’s cover from Everett. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)Collector’s cover from Grays Harbor. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)Collector’s cover from Longview. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)Collector’s cover from Olympia. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)Collector’s cover from Seattle. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)Collector’s cover from Seattle. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)Collector’s cover from Tacoma. (Universal Ship Cancel Society)The cover of a USS Constitution scrapbook. Click it to see the full 126-page pdf, available from the USS Constitution Museum website.
Here are links to other websites relating to the USS Constitution:
2 thoughts on “Seattle Now & Then: The USS Constitution, 1933”
After the repairs to USS Constitution in the 1920s, pieces of the wood that was replace was cut into cubes and sold. My mother bought a piece when Ironsides visited New York City. We still have it!
I believe the two stack ferryboat behind the Constitution likely is the SS Seattle (former HB Kennedy) when it was on the Navy Yard Run with Chippewa (which by 1933 had been converted to single stack diesel so it’s not that ferry). Somewhat of a twin to the passenger SS Tacoma, both by then operated by Puget Sound Navigation Co. Swell cabins in their days.
After the repairs to USS Constitution in the 1920s, pieces of the wood that was replace was cut into cubes and sold. My mother bought a piece when Ironsides visited New York City. We still have it!
I believe the two stack ferryboat behind the Constitution likely is the SS Seattle (former HB Kennedy) when it was on the Navy Yard Run with Chippewa (which by 1933 had been converted to single stack diesel so it’s not that ferry). Somewhat of a twin to the passenger SS Tacoma, both by then operated by Puget Sound Navigation Co. Swell cabins in their days.