Whaler's Monkey Belt
date: label: date made
content: 1883
notes: label: Description
content: After a whale was captured and killed, its carcass was towed by the whaleboat to the side of the mother ship for processing. Cutting up the whale was done by crewmen standing on a wooden plank, or cutting stage, rigged out over the side of the ship so that they could stand directly over the body. Crewmen used this canvas “monkey belt” to secure themselves while they stripped the whale of its blubber. It was dangerous and slippery work. If a sailor slid into the water he risked drowning or being attacked by sharks looking for an easy meal.
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Massachusetts, New Bedford
topic: label: used
content: Whaling
label: Subject
content: Fishing
label: related event
content: The Development of the Industrial United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Fisheries
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Clothing & Accessories
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content: Work
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content: Natural Resources
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content: Transportation
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Brown, James Temple. The Whale Fishery and Its Appliances
label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U.S. Fish Commission, through J. T. Brown
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AG.057716
label: catalog number
content: 057716
label: accession number
content: 2009.0184
objectType: label: Object Name
content: belt, monkey
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: canvas (belt material)
label: Physical Description
content: rope (tail material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 18 3/4 in x 6 1/8 in; 47.625 cm x 15.5575 cm