HMM’s curator Evelyn Ansel tells of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company’s adoption of electric motors for steam yacht tenders in the early 20th century, a time when electric motors were viable head-to-head competitors with internal-combustion engines for small-craft auxiliary power as the era of the steam engine waned.

Evelyn has been the curator at the Herreshoff Marine Museum since 2021. Previously, she has worked at the MIT Museum in Cambridge MA, the Mystic Seaport Museum of Mystic CT, and the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, and is an occasional contributor to WoodenBoat Magazine.