Scale: 1:192 A contemporary sailor made picture waterline model of the passenger liner ‘Paris’ (1893) mounted against a painted background on a plaster sea, entirely framed in a wooden box with a glass front. This type of model became popular during the late 19th century in the same way that ‘pier head painters’ would produce large numbers of ship portraits of well-known vessels to sell to prospective buyers.

The ship itself was originally named ‘City of Paris’ and owned by the American Inman Line. She was built and launched by J. & G. Thompson & Co., Glasgow, in 1888 and measured 527 feet in length by 63 feet in the beam and had a tonnage of 10,499 gross. The ‘City of Paris’ and its sister ship the ‘City of New York’ were considered to be the most luxurious transatlantic liners of their day and both were to capture the ‘Blue Ribband’ for the fastest crossing on the Atlantic, averaging a speed of 20 knots.

In 1892, the ‘City of Paris’ was transferred to the American Line, renamed ‘Paris’ and continued on the passenger service between New York and Southampton. In 1898, it saw service with the US Navy as an auxiliary cruiser and troopship for five months during the Spanish-American War under the name USS ‘Yale’. It returned to its normal service as the ‘Paris’ and it is probably this stage of its career that the model represents, since it is fitted with two guns on the foredeck and a single gun just aft of the mizzen mast. A year later it ran aground on the Manacles off Cornwall and had to be towed to Belfast for repairs. Its owners decided on a major refurbishment and subsequently its name was changed to the ‘Philadelphia’ and then continued service on the Southampton – Cherbourg – New York run for the next decade.

‘Paris’ was again requisitioned by the US Navy for service as a troopship during the First World War as the USS ‘Harrisburg’, transporting 30,000 troops to Europe and steaming 270, 000 miles. After the war, it was decommissioned and continued as a passenger liner on various routes, eventually being sold for scrap in 1923.