February 12, 2010

The Ravenscrag Ukulele

Click on the image and ZOOM.

This is a Bruko Archback Ukulele No.4, a fine uke made by a family-owned company in Germany, which i have customized to depict the voyage of the Ravenscrag.

The SS Ravenscrag was a British barque, historically most famous for bringing Portuguese immigrants Joao Fernandes, Augusto Dias, Jose do Espirito Santo and Manuel Nunes to the islands, as these men are considered to have introduced the ukulele to Hawaii.

This ship sailed from Madeira and reached Honolulu on the 23rd of August in 1879. This date is now honored as the birth of the ukulele.


I came across this bit of history via an essay written by the late John King entitled, 'New History of the Origins and Development of the 'Ukulele, 1838-1915'. So incredibly interesting. A wealth of inspiration for more custom ukes to come.

The Ravenscrag Ukulele is available via 'The Jumping Flea Market' Etsy Shop. This instrument will also be a part of the Artist's Ukulele Collection to be shown on MuseumNight in Rotterdam. These and more 'Musical Wonders & Curiosities' will soon be available via 'The Jumping Flea Market' online gallery. Coming Soon!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your link to the "New History of the Origins and Development of the 'Ukulele, 1838-1915" doesn't work.

Shelley Rickey said...

Ah, thanks for the heads up.
Fixed it!