Oil Painting or Overpainted Print, Capturing a Sperm Whale
date: label: date or original painting
content: 1835
name: label: whaleman and artist
content: Hulsart, Cornelius
label: owner of the ship Superior
content: N & W. W. Billings
notes: label: Description
content: The most dangerous part of a dangerous job was working in the actual whaleboat, first chasing and then capturing and killing the prey.
label: Description
content: This picture is a copy or an overpainted example of a famous print first issued in 1835, believed to be the first indigenous American whaling print. It is derived from a sketch by whaleman Cornelius Hulsart, who lost an arm on the whaler <I>Superior</I> and subsequently became an artist.
label: Description
content: The original print was one of a pair produced to raise money for Hulsart, and it was dedicated to <I>Superior</I>'s owners N. & W.W. Billings of New London, Connecticut. It is a fairly accurate portrayal of the danger in approaching and killing a wounded, enraged whale. As shown by the red, bloody whale spout, the whalers have struck the prey’s lungs or arteries, but the animal was still strong enough to break a boat in half and flip a crewman into the water.
topic: label: related event
content: Expansion and Reform
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Work
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content: Industry & Manufacturing
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content: Natural Resources
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content: Transportation
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content: Art
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Eleanor and Mabel Van Alstyne American Folk Art Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.65.0876
label: catalog number
content: 65.0876
label: accession number
content: 256396
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Painting
label: Other Terms
content: Painting; Pictures; Oil on Canvas
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (frame material)
label: Physical Description
content: oil paint (painting material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (painting material)
label: Physical Description
content: textile (painting material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 25 7/8 in x 31 5/8 in x 2 in; 65.7225 cm x 80.3275 cm x 5.08 cm