The Jeanne Gougy 1962, courtesy of Sotheby'sSeine, courtesy of Sotheby's The Jeune Hortense 1888, courtesy of Sotheby's high res The Mildred, 1912, courtesy of Sotheby's Tripolitania, courtesy of Sotheby's

These awesome (trad meaning) pictures of shipwrecks off the coast of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – and hundreds more – have just been purchased by the National Maritime Museum, London branch, for £122,000.

They are from the family archive of the Gibson family, assembled over 125 years and four generations, who made it their mission to record shipwrecks off the Cornish coast.

I wish I had the locations of the wrecks pictured here but the names provide interest enough – wonderful titles like Tripolitania, Minnehaha and the Mildred.

The museum says that they will be digitising the material then lending it out to museums across the South West, so by rights I’m sure there will be a Cornish airing soon.

Images reproduced on pasties & cream courtesy of Sotheby’s. www.rmg.co.uk