Original, Antique Pen & Ink Drawing

" The Old ' Hatfield ' "
" Once the proud bearer of doubloons , molasses , rum
and tamarinds to the early settlers of the Tusket river villages "

An old two-masted wooden ship , beached , with a heavy chain and ship's anchor at the bow.

Black ink on thin, smooth-surface board.
6" x 14"
The title and caption are on separate strips of board, which were applied to the main board.

Unsigned and undated.
circa 1800s

This has been examined under 20x magnification; this is a pen & ink drawing - not a print.
At the stern of the ship ( under the aftcastle / quarterdeck ) is an area where the artist did some erasing and re-drawing, which affected the board surface.
In that area there is also visible some of the original pencil outline.

Some damage and repair-work; see the photos.

The Tusket River is located in Nova Scotia , Yarmouth County , Canada ; a major river system, it drains southwest Nova Scotia and empties into the Gulf Of Maine.
Several towns and villages line its banks, including Plymouth , Wedgeport, Hubbard's Point , and the fishing village of Tusket itself.

I have attempted to find information on this particular ship , the " Hatfield ," however without result.
The villages along the Tusket were settled in the 1700's.
On the east bank of the Tusket river is an old home named " Hatfield House ."
The Hatfield family has a long history in Nova Scotia.

The reference in the caption to " doubloons , molasses , rum , and tamarinds " indicates that this ship was long ago used in the " Atlantic Triangle Slave Trade ."
A " tamarind " is the edible fruit of the Tamarind tree, indigenous to tropical Africa.
Today Spanish Doubloons are often associated with pirates , though doubloons were in common use in the Caribbean and also in the British colonies , including New England and the maritime colonies of Canada , in the 1700's.

The trans-atlantic slave trade, that operated from the late 16th to early 19th centuries, carrying slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods between West Africa, Caribbean or American colonies and the European colonial powers, with the northern colonies of British North America, especially New England, sometimes taking over the role of Europe.
The use of African slaves was fundamental to growing colonial cash crops, which were exported to Europe.

In the colonial molasses trade , sugar in the form of molasses from the Caribbean was traded to Europe or New England, where it was distilled into rum.
The profits from the sale of molasses ( sugar ) were used to purchase manufactured goods, which were then shipped to West Africa, where they were bartered for slaves.
The slaves were then brought back to the Caribbean to be sold to sugar planters. The profits from the sale of the slaves were then used to buy more sugar ( Molasses ), which was shipped to Europe and made into rum - restarting the cycle.


Carefully Packed For Shipment To The Buyer

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