Existing comment:
Ship Model Maker's Shop (1700):
Authorities today believe that when a Master Shipwright was ordered to produce a fine dockyard model of the ship he was building, he or his Assistant hand-picked one or more shipwrights who were not only adept at working in miniature but who thoroughly knew every phase of ship construction from the keel up. They were presumably given a place to work -- a shed or hut on the grounds of the dockyard -- and provided with the necessary materiel and tools, plus an exact copy of the building draught used to construct the full-scale ship. The best of the model makers were authorized one or more apprentices, but otherwise they were paid only their regular shipwright's salary. When a model was finished, it was given to its new owner and the modelers either returned to their regular jobs as shipwrights or set to work on another dockyard model. |