United States, New England, ca. mid 19th century. A dramatic rendering of a whale hunt delineated in ink and gouache on paper with the word "WHALING" below. In the foreground the hunters' vessel is being upturned as it careens into the huge whale. One hunter has been tossed to the sea; another is sliding toward the water, and the third is aiming his spear at the whale. In the distance, two ships make their way across the ocean. According to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, "Whaling was an exceptionally dangerous business both physically and economically. In the Yankee whale fishery injuries and death were common to almost every voyage. Many vessels were lost." Still whalers persisted in order to reap the riches of the sea. Size of painting: 4.875" L x 7.875" W (12.4 cm x 20 cm) Size of frame: 15" L x 17.75" W (38.1 cm x 45.1 cm)

In "Men and Whales" (1991), Richard Ellis writes that whaling was regarded as an admirable occupation until the beginning of the twentieth-century. ". . . it is only through the lens of hindsight that the whaleman's job becomes malicious or cruel. . . Oil was needed for light and lubrication; baleen was needed for skirt hoops and corset stays. That whales had to die to provide these things is a fact of seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century life. . ."

Provenance: private Los Angeles County, California, USA collection

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#160137

This artwork has not been examined outside the frame. It appears to have normal age wear but the imagery is still strong. Frame shows age wear with scuffs and chips as shown. Frame is fitted with suspension wire and ready to display.