Clipper Ships

One of the developments in the 19th century was the building of Clipper Ships in England and America. Clipper comes from a term regarding the pace of a fast horse but with regard to the ship it is because of the bow. The bow was narrow unlike other vessels at that time and the bow extended forward. This design allowed the ships to clip through the waves.

The first ship build was for the war of 1812 the Baltimore Clipper but the first to actually show the structure we know today as the clipper ship was built in 1833 in Baltimore. These ships are said to represent the Golden age of sailing. They were built for speed and for trade, specifically low volume, high-profit products. Spices, tea, mail and people were their primary cargo.

With the invention of steam these ships were gradually replaced with steam engines but they were quiet busy through the end of the century and into the early part of the next.

Another interesting tidbit is that American Clipper ships traveled primarily from Boston, MA. to New York and to San Francisco. In order to advertise these routes they put sailing cards in the local newspapers. Here's the thing, they used color in advertising. Below are a few cards: