Yachting rendezvous in New London, 1911

New London was occasionally a destination for the wealthy owners of steam and sailing yachts during the Gilded Age. The 1911 "Rendezvous" of the New York Yacht Club in New London is the subject of marine artist Russ Kramer's evocative print, acquired by the library to illustrate the glamour of a bygone era in the city's maritime history.  Several yachts are anchored in the Thames River just off Union Railroad Station as a westbound train pulls in. Owners of some of these classic yachts brought them to New London's Thames Shipyard & Repair Co. for maintenance in the decades between the world wars. Candid photos of several of these are included in a small archive relating to the Shipyard, acquired by the McGuire Library in 2016, and several books on our shelves describe the great yachts of the so-called Gilded Age.