Lion deck ornament from the Himalaya 1863
Collection of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park , Courtesy SFO Museum

If you’re traveling to or through San Francisco International Airport (SFO), be sure to leave some time to explore the newest exhibit from the SFO Museum: From Ship to Shore: Nautical Arts from the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, on view in Terminal 2 through December.

The exhibit displays ingeniously crafted items made by sailors during long stints at sea and includes masthead ornaments, scrimshaw, fancy ropework, ships-in-bottles, shadowbox half models, a hand-painted sea chest, a whalebone chair and other items on loan from the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

Shadowbox of a fishing vessel c. 1850–60
Collection of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, courtesy SFO Museum

Scrimshaw c. 1850–1900, orca jawbone, ink
Collection of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, courtesy SFO Museum