In 1932, at the U.S. Marine Hospital in Savannah, an African American seaman named William O. Golding began to produce color drawings of ships and ports, apparently based on his own experiences at sea. Golding may have seen the U.S.S. Constitution, America's oldest commissioned vessel, on its tour of the east coast in 1931.

U.S.S. Constitution

In 1932, at the U.S. Marine Hospital in Savannah, an African American seaman named William O. Golding began to produce color drawings of ships and ports, apparently based on his own experiences at sea. Golding may have seen the U.S.S. Constitution, America's oldest commissioned vessel, on its tour of the east coast in 1931.

Courtesy of Rita Trotz Collection