On the Water: A Century of Iconic Maritime Photography from the Rosenfeld Collection

The Golden Age of Sailing is captured with remarkable clarity in On the Water: A Century of Iconic Maritime Photography from the Rosenfeld Collection. This book, written by Nick Voulgaris and produced in collaboration with the Mystic Seaport Museum, offers a carefully curated overview of Morris Rosenfeld’s work and the photographic legacy continued by his sons. The images span a broad range of maritime subjects—racing sailboats, vintage wooden runabouts, elegant motoryachts—and include rare and previously unpublished photographs that document the spirit and style of a bygone era.

A Visual Chronicle of Maritime Life

Morris Rosenfeld and his family created a visual record of life on the water that is both historic and evocative. The book presents striking compositions that highlight form, motion and atmosphere: sails taut against the sky, wake patterns behind a classic runabout, the gleam of varnished wood under sunlight. Among these is a lively image of the 1929 Sea Lyon runabout, which captures not just the boat but the exuberant and sometimes risky pleasure-seeking that characterized recreational boating in that era.

The Rosenfeld Family and Their Craft

Born in 1885, Morris Rosenfeld pursued his interest in art and photography despite family expectations that he take a more conventional path. By his early teens he was already working with a Gundlach 4×5 plate camera, learning the skills of photojournalism and action photography. After gaining experience under several professional mentors, Morris established his own Manhattan studio by 1910 and focused much of his attention on vessels operating in the Hudson and East rivers.

Morris and his wife, Esther Marion Hirsch, raised five children, and three of their sons—David, Stanley and William—became integral to the family’s photographic enterprise. They earned their keep by working on assignments with their father: operating the chase boat Foto, tending the darkroom, maintaining boats and cameras, and even fabricating camera parts for field repairs. The family’s collaborative workflow allowed them to pursue demanding shoots on the water and preserve images that might otherwise have been lost.

Continuing the Legacy

Stanley Rosenfeld later took leadership of his father’s business and compiled A Century Under Sail, a volume that further documented the Rosenfelds’ decades of work. The family viewed their efforts as both labor and legacy. William Rosenfeld reflected on the experience in a postscript, noting that despite the hardships imposed by a demanding father and rigorous assignments, they inherited a lasting record of beauty on the water and a shared passion that endured through generations.

Collaboration with Mystic Seaport Museum

The Mystic Seaport Museum has served as steward of the Rosenfeld archive since 1984, helping to preserve, catalog and share the collection with new audiences. On the Water was produced in collaboration with the museum to highlight not only the aesthetic qualities of these photographs but also their cultural and historical significance. The book’s selection emphasizes how sailing and life along the waterways formed a common language that crossed social and geographic boundaries.

Inspiration for Modern Mariners

Ted Turner, in his preface to the book, captures the emotional core of the Rosenfeld collection: “The love of sailing is a common language that transcends many boundaries. Morris Rosenfeld’s images convey that in spirit. It is my hope that his photographs will inspire others to head offshore and further their bond with the ocean’s elements in the splendor of our fragile blue planet.” The photographs invite contemporary readers and mariners to reflect on the continuity of maritime culture and to appreciate the beauty and challenge of life at sea.

On the Water serves as both a historical document and a source of inspiration—an evocative collection that preserves moments of nautical life with precision and feeling. Its pages bring together the technical skill of early 20th-century photography and the intimate, often exhilarating experiences of those who lived and played on the water.

This article was originally published in the September 2023 issue.