On December 24, 1881, Oscar Wilde sailed for America from Liverpool aboard the S.S. Arizona bound for New York. The reasons for his much-heralded visit seemed clear enough: to promote Gilbert & Sullivan’s latest operetta, Patience, while conducting a series of lectures on subjects of his own choosing.

The ship arrived late on January 2, 1882, which meant she had to lay at quarantine overnight. On the morning of January 3, and after being held in the muddy river, the Arizona pulled into the Guion dock at Pier 38.

Fortunately, Oscar was listed on the ship’s manifest as “Gentleman”, and so along with other passengers in Cabin Class, he was spared the transfer via smaller vessels for legal and medical processing at Castle Garden.