Probably no American yacht has been oftener pictured than the famous schooner America, yet the negative of the ret photograph made of her while under way is preserved in Boston today.
It was made nearly 24 years ago, in 1883, when the photographing of moving objects was a novelty.
N. L. Stebbins, the veteran photographer of Boston, was a pioneer in photographing vessels under sail, making his rst pictures of that kind in the spring of time to tie a vessel up fore and aft if she was to be photographed with her sails up. Of course the work could be done only in calm weather, and the picture didn't look very spirited. I was the first photographer to get results with photographs of vessels in motion."
The picture herewith was made from a print taken by Mr. Stebbins a few days ago from his original negative, which is still in good condition.
Gen. Butler then owned the America, which h had bought in 1873 at an auction sale at Annapolis, where, since the war, the celebrated yacht has been stationed. His sailing master was Capt. James H. Reid, a Boston branch pilot, who hearing that Mr. Stebbins could photograph a vessel in motion, called on him, and arranged to have a picture taken of the America.
Mr. Stebbins went down the harbor on a tug, and off Boston Light Capt. Reid put the America through her paces, in a moderate breeze, with all her light sails on.
"The picture was one of the wonders of the times," said Mr. Stebbins recently. "People had never seen any-tning like it before. It had been customary up to that rig which she no longer carries. This rig was given her in 1880, when she was rebuilt from plans by Edward Burgess, and was carried until 1885, when the headrig shown here was discarded and a pole bowsprit was put in.