Tsuba Collection Inverclyde

[John A Stuart]

Hi All, In a previous post re: Tsuba collection at Inverclyde Museum.

This is a collection that GR MacDougall collected in New York at the turn of the 19th cent. and sent to Greenoch, now housed in the McClean Museum in Greenoch. It is currently being researched and more info will eventually be available to the public. Mr G Woods has made available pdf files of the tsuba collection, there being no printed catalogue yet. Any who want these files can e-mail me for a copy. John

[Rich S]

John -

 

Is it possible to post the Woods collection pdf files (hopefully

in zip format) so folks can download them from here?

How large a file are they? (I inquire since I'm on a

slooooow dialup connection).

 

Rich S

[Rich T]

I have the same information from Mr Woods as well. The PDF is only 2 meg. The images are very small thumbnails andthey are not linked to larger versions unfortunately. Zipping it only got it down to 1.91 meg.

 

The information on George Rodgers Macdougall is interesting.

 

cheers

 

Rich

 

 

G.R. Macdougall was prominent in many local enterprises. He served on the Harbour Trust for several years, as well as on the School Board. He at the same time was an enthusiastic manager of the Philosophical Society, the Watt Library, and the McLean Museum and Hall. When the leading sugar firm of Czarnikow and Co. decided to found a branch in New York, they sought out Mr Macdougall, and a very successful partnership was soon formed.

 

Before long the New York branch with George Macdougall at its head was turning over more sugar in a year than the whole of the sugar trade in Greenock. Mr Macdougall was so highly esteemed by the sugar trade in New York that he occupied a leading position, and was entertained publicly on his retirement. He was repeatedly asked to become naturalised there but his answer always was that as long as his old Queen remained alive he would remain her loyal subject. In old age he returned to Britain, taking up his retirement residence at Bournemouth, where he died in 1917.

 

It was from his base in New York that George Rodgers Macdougall sent an extraordinary range of objects back to Greenock. They included Japanese items, medals, art and a range of natural history specimens, including the now extinct passenger pigeon that can be seen on the upper floor of the museum.

 

In the early part of the twentieth century many objects, especially military items, were exported from Japan and made their way into the auction houses of Europe. It was during this period that G.R. Macdougall began to purchase Japanese objects with a view to donating them to the Museum. As a result of his consistent and well-chosen purchases the McLean Museum and Art Gallery now houses one of the best Japanese collections in Scotland.

[John A Stuart]

Rich T is correct in that they show what is in the collection but info is sketchy and no larger pics. There is supposed to be better info available in the spring of 07 however. Rather large file for here, I think. Dial-up at 6 kbs was about 18 mins. John

[Rich S]

John and Rich T -

 

Thanks, but that large a file and small pics (probably

not a whole lot of use in id-ing tsuba), I'll wait until

a better version comes out. Thanks anyway.

 

Rich S

[John A Stuart]

Actually when you zoom in using acrobat you get not too bad of a view. Just a little fuzzy if you get too large. I do not know if 'reader' has this feature. Anyhow when they upgrade what they have it will be better. A very important collection. John