Model, based on clipper schooner Bonnie Lass

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A schooner is a two or three-masted ship with fore-and-aft sails. A clipper is a fast sailing ship, characterised in the mid 19th century by a three-masted square rig. This wooden model is based on the clipper schooner the 'Bonnie Lass', built at Perth by Macpherson's and registered at Wick in 1868.

This is a built-up model of the vessel with the planking removed to show the method of framing. It was built to a scale of 1:48 by the model maker, Mr James Gray of Edinburgh.

The name clipper probably comes from the American expression 'to move at a fast clip' and was first used to describe topsail schooners from Baltimore around 1825. The Baltimore clippers carried a full set of square sails on the foremast in addition to their fore-and-aft sails. With such a vast area of canvas, this meant they were very fast but not always completely sea-worthy.

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• Online ID: 000-180-002-054-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland Part 2
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  T.1947.L.7
• Date: Model: 20th century; Original: 1868
  
• Material: Ship / schooner, topsail, model
  
• Dimensions:
• What: Ship / schooner, topsail, model
  
• Subject:
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• Description: Model of a topsail schooner, with the planking removed, scale 1:48
  
• References:
  • Storer, J D. Ship Models in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh: A catalogue of models representing the history of shipping from 1500 BC to the present day. Edinburgh: Royal Scottish Museum Information Series, 1985, pp 29-30. 
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