Whale on an ice floe

Publisher A Fullarton & Co (fl 1840 - 1870)

Datec 1870

Object number00019641

NameEngraving

MediumEngraving on paper

DimensionsOverall: 160 x 252 mm, 0.01 kg

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionColoured print of a baleen whale lying on an ice floe with whaling boats in the background.SignificanceThis print is part of the Chester Collection which records the ancestry of Australian whaling which followed much the same pattern as that of the northern hemisphere in earlier centuries. It began with bay whaling until supplies ran out, and then moved to hunting the whale at sea on long ocean voyages. Whaling was colonial Australia's first primary industry but whales have since acquired a different but considerable importance in the public imagination and environmental concerns.