Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver Basket Henry Sturgis Morgan with Original Cobalt Glass Liner Monogram: HSM | Circa 1920 to 1935-Palm Beach / Morgan Family Yacht Corsair- 107 Grams Sterling 307 Grams W/Cobalt Liner

Life on the Corsair

For Henry Sturgis Morgan (H.S.M.), the Morgan family yacht—known collectively as Corsair—represented an extension of their private world.

There were four vessels bearing the name; this piece aligns most closely with the era of the Corsair III, the family’s principal private yacht during the 1910s and 1920s.

The Corsair was not merely a pleasure craft—it functioned as a floating residence and venue for refined entertaining. Members of the Morgan family are known to have used their yachts for both travel and business along the Eastern seaboard. Contemporary accounts describe these vessels serving as a practical link between their Hudson River estates and Wall Street—at times earning the informal nickname “the Ferry.”

In Palm Beach, the Corsair operated as a mobile mansion, allowing the family and their guests to entertain privately and move fluidly between coastal destinations, often bypassing the highly social hotel and club scene of the season.

Staffed by a large professional crew and supported by formal dining service, life aboard required the same level of presentation found in their estates. With formal dining supported by a full professional crew, including European-trained culinary staff, presentation pieces such as this were essential to service aboard vessels of this caliber. Tiffany silver of this form is consistent with the type of service pieces used in both private residences and aboard elite yachts of this standing.

Conclusion

The original cobalt glass liner—an increasingly rare survival—provides both protection and dramatic presentation for fruit, confections, or chilled service.

A complete and compelling artifact from the golden age of Palm Beach, American finance, and the refined maritime lifestyle of the Morgan family sphere.

Antiquity Sterling
Curated by Greg Berman