Learn how one curator learned the benefits and drawbacks of using AI to answer historical questions and explore art.

After the Battle of Hampton Roads, USS Monitor gained the title of "The little ship that saved the nation".  The ship's newfound fame set off a "Monitor Craze" in the US, as hosts of vessels emerged with the same name. 

Sometimes, you have to do a little digging to discover the location a piece of art captures. Come along on an investigative journey to identify two port views by artist Joseph Partridge. 

Through grant funding, The Mariners' is working to digitize and preserve a host of photo negatives, including the remarkable photographic work of John Frye, whose collection captures the heart of the menhaden fishing industry in Chesapeake Bay. Frye’s vivid notes and 7,000+ negatives offer a glimpse into the daily lives of Chesapeake Bay watermen in the 1960s-1980s. 

What did the California Gold Rush have to do with the whaling industry?  Albert M. Barnes, II, whose collection was donated to The Mariners’ Museum in 1986, created a list of 59 whaling vessels whose destiny was forever changed by the California Gold Rush.

Our Curatorial Team explores the powerful image of a baptism captured in 1914 on the James River in Newport News, VA, shedding light on the deep, enduring connection Black Americans have had with water. Through this historical photograph, we reflect on the rich cultural and spiritual ties to water that have shaped African American history, and how these traditions continue to influence and resonate today.

Is it a boat? Or an airplane? Perhaps both. Thomas Lake's patented pontoon-hydroplane boat is a testament to the imaginations of past inventors whose ideas paved the way for future vessels.