Channel Islands Maritime Museum, Oxnard, CA.—“Sailor’s Pockets” is an exhibit taking a close look at the odd, intimate, and useful objects sailors carried with them at sea. Sailors endured cramped living spaces and dangerous working conditions, and could only carry what was vital to them and their seafaring way of life. This exhibit features a small number of items that will be rotated regularly for 6 months to explore a variety of time periods and a diversity of people. The exhibit will showcase incredible things sailors used to eat, drink, smoke, and play.
Some of the Civil War sailor items include: silver fork engraved J. H. Clark, USN, who was a naval surgeon; Naval pepper and mustard bottles as used on USS Monitor and USS Cairo; U.S. Navy issue soap box; eating utensils; two period engraved naval-themed watches; nautical-theme pipes and tobacco boxes; thermoplastic photographic cases; family photographs; match cases; eyeglasses; small telescope; wallets; needle cases; shaving brush; razors and a razor strop.
The Sailor’s Pockets exhibit opened in September 2021. Most items are from the Derek Manov Collection and have never before been displayed in public.
