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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Swift
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Swift

Object numberMO 1941.7.117
Name Model
Maker (Canadian-American, 1893 - 1955)
Gifter
Dateca. 1941
Mediumpaint, wood, string, metal
Dimensionsbase (large base) H 1 1/4 in x W 36 1/4 in x D 15 1/4 in (3.2 cm x 92.1 cm x 38.7 cm )
 overall (on small base) H 24 in x W 32 in x D 10 1/4 in (61 cm x 81.3 cm x 26 cm )
DescriptionA small wooden model believed to be of the 1779 American privateer, SWIFT. It is made from plans supposed to have come from the Archives of the British Admiralty. The ship has a black and green hull with red trim and fairly elaborate deck details. The rigging follows the general type in use at the time. There are no sails. The model is mounted to a wood base to which is attached a small white plaque inscribed: American / Privateer / Swift 1779 / by G.H.S. Hevenor.

The model is accompanied by a larger wooden base (stored separately) which has a perimeter groove to allow for the placement of a protective bonnet.
Label TextGideon H.S. Hevenor, a well-known model maker from Waltham, Massachusetts, made this model of the brigantine SWIFT, which served as an American privateer during the Revolutionary War. In May 1941, during the dark early days of World War II, Hevenor sent this model to President Roosevelt as a gift. In a note that accompanied the model, he wrote that he believed it was symbolic of a spirit of liberty and justice that would rise again.
Additional Details
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesShip Models (National Archives Identifier 782457)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
Collections
Non exposé
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