Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891 "Commemorative Diploma" - Info? Value?

[talesofthesevenseas]

I bought this as a gift for my husband, who is a British naval history junkie. What it is is a "Commemorative Diploma" from the Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891 in Chelsea England. The exhibition featured displays and artifacts from famous ships and sea battles. It was organized as a reminder that Britannia ruled the seas!

From what I have been able to determine, these "diplomas" were presented to participants in the exhibition. The person this one was awarded to a man named Bryce Douglas. I found a Bryce Douglas working for Cunard, but I don't know exactly what his involvement with the exhibition was.

The diploma is fragile, with some foxing/staining around the edges. It is in what appears to be an original frame, and it arrived from the UK with the glass shattered. I've got it out of the light at the moment until I can get the glass replaced with UV filtered Plex. I'll also get it onto acid-free backing to prevent further deterioration.

The print itself is incredibily detailed. The detail on it is just amazing up close. All around the edges are names of ships and famous captains, sailors etc. from British history.

What I'd like to know is...

Can anyone tell me more about the Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891?
Can anyone find out more about Bryce Douglas?
Value?
Other comments?

I will take some better, more detailed photos and post them tonight.

[regularjoe2]

Nice old document , talesof .

I'll do some sniffing around on it .

As to it's value : if it made your hubby happy , it's priceless .

[KC]

Hi, don't know if you have ever seen this story or website....http://www.jmr.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conJmrArticle.29/viewPage/1

[talesofthesevenseas]

Thanks, I did read through that site when I first got the document, it has a lot of great info!

Here's what little I could find on Bryce Douglas. He seems to be the same guy, but that is just a guess. There was a Bryce Douglas who was a designer for Cunard at about the right time, I'm guessing this is his document. Look under the ship "Aurania".

http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/cunard3.html

Addding this in after posting...

I just found that he worked for John Elder & Co., of Glasgowals, and built the "machinery" for
Etruria, Umbria (sister ship), Oregon, America, City of Rome, Alaska, Servia , Aurania, Etruria and Umbria, the Oregon, Arizona, and Alaska according to this page:
http://www.gjenvick.com/SteamshipArticles/DevelopmentOfTheSteamship-Part6.html

And found a letter written by him:
14 Great George Street — London, S. W.

Barrow-tn^Furness, May i8th, 1888.

Dear Sir:

In reply to your request regarding my experience
in connection with petroleum as fuel on board steam-
ers in the Pacific, I have the pleasure to inform you
that when I was Superintendent of the Factory of
the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, I arranged
one of their small steamers, the "Supe", to bum oil,
which it did with very great success.

At that time (1874) the price of Cardiff coal, in
Callao, was $.17 per ton, and we paid only 7 cents
per gallon for oil.

From a memorandum of those trials, it appears
that on a short voyage from Callao to Guafiape, the
quantity of oil consumed was 2200 gallons, which,
compared with the 15 tons of coal that was burned
before, was a great advantage in favor of the oil.
Thus:

IStonsof coal at$.17 $. 255

2220 gallons of oil at 7 cents 154

Difference in favor of oil $. 101

The oil used then was from the wells near Paita



— 21 —

(Negritos) and for a long time past, I have been
under the impression that an immense and, probably,
inexhaustible supply of petroleum exists there. I
think it even exists underneath the sea, because, on
many occasions, 1 have seen the surface of the water
covered with oil, for a number of miles around, in
front of Point Parifias.

I enclose you a copy of the original memorandum
which I addressed to Mr. Petrie, General Manager
of the Company on the Coast.
Your obedient servant,

A. D. Bryce-Douglas.

He seems to go by Bryce Douglas, Bryce-Douglas, D. Bryce-Douglas or A.D. Bryce Douglas. It seems to all be the same person though.

[regularjoe2]

Info you might already know , but here's some anyway :

The diploma was designed by the artist Frank Baden-Powell , the tinted litho was engraved & printed by W.P. Griffith & Sons in 1891 .

The existing diplomas seem to have been made with slight variations in size - some @ 501mm x 645mm , more commonly @ 499mm x 648mm .

[talesofthesevenseas]

I didn't know that RegularJoe, thanks! I couldn't locate my camera last night, but will get better photos ASAP.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Here's the up-close photos:

These are the signatures on the diploma, I don't see the artist among them, unless perhaps he signed the back?




Here is the one tear it has, kind of a big one, again the diploma came in this condition.
I think this is Britannia with the Lion of England and the names of important battles on the column ribbon:


I believe this is either Poseidon or Neptune, with important ship names on the column ribbon and a Roman dolphin at his feet.


Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson at the bottom, with the names of famous British Admirals

[regularjoe2]

I have not delved deep enough into it to know if the artist & engraver 'signed' these items ... only know that they're the people of record who did the work ( I verified through 4 gov. & artist databases ) .

I wouldn't be surprised to find , or not find , any refs to these folks on the document .... it's my impression that the old-timey-time 'rules of publishing' were rather fast & loose , compared to the standards of today .

[KC]

Think this could have been him a few posts down?

http://www.kilmarnockacademy.co.uk/eventsfeedback.htm

[talesofthesevenseas]

Interesting! I suppose I should try to contact Mr. Douglas to find out if this is the same Bryce Douglas. Poor hubby is gonna be bummed if he wants his great-grandpa's diploma!