The Denver Museum of Nature and Science this morning took the wraps off its new blockbuster exhibit, “Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship.”
“Real Pirates” explores early 18th-century piracy and is the first exhibition. Organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International, and AEG Exhibitions, Denver is one of only 10 stops for the exhibition of artifacts recovered from the wreck of the first fully authenticated pirate ship to be discovered in U.S. waters.
From the organizers of “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs,” which was at the Denver Art Museum until last month, “Real Pirates” tells the true story of the Whydah and showcases treasure chests of gold coins, jewelry, cannons, pistols, knives and a life-size replica of the ship’s stern that visitors can board. The exhibit also includes artifacts of slavery, including shackles and an iron bar used as “trade iron” in exchange for captive humans.
The exhibit officially opens March 4.
A slave ship captured off the Bahamas by the pirate captain Sam Bellamy in February 1717, the Whydah — packed with plunder from more than 50 raided ships — sank off the coast of Massachusetts on April 26, 1717.
The Whydah was located by underwater explorer Barry Clifford in 1984 and has been the subject of some controversy, including the claim that previous exhibits, in which only the pirate artifacts were to be displayed, trivialized the ship’s use in 18th century slave trade.
The objects provide “a rare window into the otherwise mysterious world of 18th-century pirates. This exhibition is the culmination of my many years of work. Most important, it is a chance to bring the real story of pirates to the public as it’s never been told before—through real objects last touched by real pirates,” Clifford said in a news release.
