Last modified: 2012-05-08 by german editorial team
Keywords: wappaeus(ah) | wappaeus(gh) | hamburg castle | cross(patty) |
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Georg Hinrich Wappäus came to Hamburg at the end of the 18th century. His father-in-law was a linen trader. After Wappäus gained full citizen rights in 1805 he expanded the business and started to export linen to South America. In 1825 he owned 5 ships, in 1827 his fleet consisted of 13 ships. The business increased and Wappäus also exported timber and pantiles, goods that were badly needed by the emigrated settlers. In 1836 Wappäus died. The 10 ships left were completely sold by his heirs.
After 1850 one of his sons, Adolph Hinrich Wappäus returned to Hamburg. He was Partner of Blohm & Co. in Ciudad Bolivar at the Rio Orinoco (Venezuela). In 1857 he established an import and export trading company to deal the former Great Colombia and Guayana. He also established a small shipping company with 3 ships. The company increased after the German-French War 1870/71. 1883 was her best year. The company owned 12 sailing ships.The main business was trade on the Rio Orinoco into inner Venezuela til the end of the 90ies. The shipping on Rio Orinoco and Rio Demerara was reestablished just before WWI by August Bolten and Seetzen Brothers (Bremen) whose ships sometimes were registered in Hamburg.
When A.H.Wappäus died in 1904, the last 2 ships were sold and the shipping-company was extinguished.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.91.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Mar 2007
![[A.H.Wappäus 1831]](../images/d/de~wapgh31.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Apr 2012
The ratio is approx 2:3. The white flag has a green bordure. In its centre is a red Hamburg castle, version with close door.
Source: image is based upon a description of Neale Rosanoski
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Apr 2012
With the help of Klaus-Michael Schneider I have been trying to determine the house flag of Georg Hinrich Wappäus being the father of A.H. Wappäus for whom the flag previously depicted in our pages is shown. The detail and leads from Klaus-Michael have been invaluable for leading me to sites on the family details and to the painting by L. Petersen of the fleet on the father.
Dr. Otto Mathies in his "Hamburgs Reederei 1814-1914" of 1924, which is written in Gothic print and thus very difficult for myself to translate, has black and white illustrations with hatchings for the flags. For G.H. he shows a flag which can either be basically described as white with a broad green border, or green with a large white panel, with on the white the red Hamburg castle. Jürgen Meyer in his "Hamburgs Segelschiffe 1795-1945" does not show this flag but describe it, translated by me as being "a red three towered gate of Hamburg in the white field with a green edge". As Meyer gives Mathies as a source it is quite likely that he had no other corroboration of the flag which differs from that shown in the fleet painting by Petersen where the border is shown as blue and the black letters "SDG" are placed under the castle with the castle version also differing from the Mathies illustration by seeming to have no doors [gates?] but merely a white space for that area.
Mathies may give sources, I cannot readily find a list. On the other hand he does include a [black and white] illustration of the said painting so presumably he was aware of the different portrayal by Petersen of the flag or again he may not or may have just considered it of no importance.
Neale Rosanoski, 21 Apr 2012
![[A.H.Wappäus 1836]](../images/d/de~wapgh36.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Apr 2012
The ratio is approx 11:12. The white flag has a blue bordure. In its centre is a red Hamburg castle, version 19th century. Beneath the castle are black capitals "SDG", probably meaning : "Soli Deo Gloria", (English: glory to God alone/German: Gott allein die Ehre), the motto of the family also appearing in the coat of arms.
Source: image based on an oil painting from 1854, to be seen in Hamburgmuseum, showing the fleet in 1836. On top of the mainmasts are name pennants, among those "GLORIA" clearly recognizable.
Klaus-Michael Schneider,
Likewise it is unclear as to where Petersen got his detail from as the painting was done in 1854 whereas the fleet of G.W. Wappäus was disposed of after his death in 1836 which seems to be a couple of years before Petersen even began painting. So how accurate is his painting and whose memory or records did he use? The 12 ships in the painting [there were a maximum of 13 in the fleet in 1927 down to 10 on his death so that could date the fleet date even earlier - if it is fact] do vary not too much, some 3 masted, some 2 and a couple 1 but all with similar hulls but whether they are actual or symbolic is another question. I have searched for background on the painting but have not found anything.
As far as the lettering on the flag shown in the painting of "SDG" the guess of Klaus-Michael that it could be for "Soli Deo Gloria" makes sense in the family protestant background but Mathies does not mention it. The family coat of arms is described in "Deutsches Geschlechterbuch (Genealogisches Handbuch / http://books.google.co.nz) from "Ein Hamburger Beitrag zur Entwicklung des Welthandels im 19. Jahrhundert" by Annette Christine Vogt being sourced from "Deutsches Geschlechterbuch" by Bernhard Koerner. In German it translates as "The coat of arms of the family was quartered: In the first and fourth blue field three golden, five leaved roses with silver seed, in two the red field a right-turned lion, in the third black field in the sign head three fallen silver points. On a helmet with red-silver-blue-golden bulge and on the right of red-silver, cover blue-golden on the left of a lion stood. A silver banner carried the family slogan in black writing: "In God is All". Interesting is that the slogan is given in English in the original German. So it could follow or again it could all be artistic licence.
So there is a choice of house flag for G.H. Wappäus. I incline to the Mathies version with too many unanswered questions relating to the painting but with nothing definite to hand both are at least worth recording.
Neale Rosanoski, 21 Apr 2012
![[A.H.Wappäus mizzen flag]](../images/d/de~wapghx.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Apr 2012
The ratio is approx 11:12. In the centre of the white flag is a hanseatic cross.
Source: image based on an oil painting from 1854, to be seen in Hamburgmuseum, showing the fleet in 1836.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Apr 2012
What the red cross patty on white flag represents is unclear. Mathies does show such a flag for C.J. Reidel who operated 1869-79 which is clearly not involved. The use of the cross in the flag of A.H. Wappäus does suggest some connection but again is a case of what? As far as the shown flag of A.H. Wappäus is concerned the image shown has a too small a cross. I enclose images from both Mathies and Meyer [which naturally agrees] showing their proportions.
Neale Rosanoski, 21 Apr 2012
![[A.H.Wappäus]](../images/d/de~wapah.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Mar 2007
G.H. Wappäus used a yellow flag divided by a red saltire. In the centre was a white roundel with a red hanseatic cross (patty).
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945";
ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; p.91.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Mar 2007
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