Yesterday we posted about Nannie Dee, the erotic yet frightening witch figurehead on the composite clipper Cutty Sark. The figurehead on Galveston’s tall ship, the 1887 barque Eliisa, is quite different.
When the ship was restored in the early 1980s, she was lacking a figurehead. Eli Kuslansky, a sculptor and woodcarver was hired. Two different women were used as the model. From Kurt Voss’ Galveston’s the Elissa:: The Tall Ship of Texas, “As a tribute to the generous support of the Moody Foundation, the face of the sculpture was styled in the likeness of a young Mary Moody Northen.” The life model for the rest of the figurehead was a part-time rigger and cadet at Texas A&M Maritime Academy, Amy McAllister.
McAllister as living figurehead
McAllister modeled not only in the studio, but on the bow of the ship as well. To ensure he got the proper angle of the figurehead to the bow, Kuslansky arranged to have McAllister strapped in place on the prow of the ship. The photograph of her as a living figurehead, holding a yellow rose to her bosom, was picked up by the international wire services and broadcast around the world.
Modeling in the studio
“When I was asked to model for the figurehead, I was quite honored,” Amy McAllister said. “Someday, it will be a story that I’ll tell my grandchildren.” The figurehead carved from Honduras mahogany was painted white, except for the yellow rose of Texas held in one hand to the young woman’s chest.
When Mary Moody Northen unveiled the figurehead in 1982, she took one look at it and said, “It looks nothing like me.” Whether or not that is an accurate assessment, it is, nevertheless, a beautiful figurehead.
Thank you for this interesting take on the events in the 1980’s. To add a few facts, Peter Brink told Mary Moody Northern that we were using her likeness as the model for the figurehead because she was being solicited for contributions to the ship. David Canright and I went over to her house to meet her assistant and a get a copy of her as a young woman. Once we saw the photos, and after politely thanking the assistant, we knew we needed another model.
Many years later Don Berkholz who was the pier manager at that time, was working at the dock when this limo pulled up and just like in the Bond movies, the electric window slid down and there Ms. Northern let him have it.
Fascinating. Thanks for the history.