Update Our ticketing, donations, and membership sales portal is down for scheduled maintenance on the afternoon of 4/11.
1812-1840
GUSN-18482
Collapsible telescope, mahogany body and brass pieces: lid, eyepiece, extensions. Eyepiece may be closed or opened with small slip cover.
telescopes
brass (alloy)
mahogany (wood)
Telescope
Telescope
Captain Richard Tucker, Sr. built the family fortune from shipping. This collapsible telescope was used on the Tucker ships and lent to the U.S. Navy in 1917 in response to a call put out by the War Department to all mariners for telescopes. Germany was the leader in optics prior to the war. Once the war halted that trade, the U.S. did not have enough instruments for all the new warships that were being built. This one still has a Navy number engraved on it. It was returned to the Tuckers after the war by then Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Carved on body: ""R.H. Tucker./ Wiscasset Me."" Engraved on base of 1st extension: ""U.S. Navy [symbol] 21145/ [T]lofslin Wien""
Original to Castle Tucker (Wiscasset, Me.),
Unknown
10 1/2 (H), 2 1/8 (diameter) (inches)
Gift of Miss Jane S. Tucker
1998.507
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact [email protected].
Sign up to our newsletter for our latest news and events
