Vanity: The Last Working Catboat

Vanity: The Last Working Catboat

There was once a time when the harbors of the Island were filled with working catboats. With their broad hulls, roomy cockpits, and single large sail, they were the preferred working vessels for countless New England fishermen for over half a century. The introduction of the gasoline engine began to change things and over time their numbers dwindled. Eventually, only one remained, Vanity, built over the winter of 1928-29 by Edgartown boatbuilder Manuel Swartz Roberts for commercial fisherman Thomas Pease and his son Oscar. Over the years, Vanity was used for scalloping, quahogging, fishing, and taking summer visitors to the beach and on fishing trips. After the founding of the Catboat Association in the 1960s, Oscar sailed her to meet-ups and races around New England. When Oscar died in 1995, he left Vanity to the Museum, which oversaw her restoration and now maintains and operates her, in the summer, as a “floating exhibit.”

In this exhibit, explore the life of the last working catboat through artifacts, photographs, archival materials, and film footage of Oscar at work in Vanity.

DETAILS

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From	March 22, 2025
To	March 8, 2026
Location	Saltzman Cabinet of Curiosities

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