Based on the age of sail, a museum exhibiting maritime art and unique ship models. The painting collection encompasses five centuries of maritime art.
The collection is organized into three galleries, one featuring Dutch and Flemish paintings from the 17th century, British works from the 18th and 19th centuries, and paintings from the 20th and 21st centuries. A second gallery features ship portraits, engravings, and trade war battle scenes; and a third gallery focused on New England Gloucester fishing, the California Gold Rush and Lumber trade, and four centuries of water media seascapes.
An extensive collection of intricate ship models comprises a major portion of museum exhibits, from French prisoner-of-war creations made primarily from the bones of their meals while in British prison to the delicate works of retired dental technician Edward Marple.