Showing 175 items
matching whips
-
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Painting, Memories of home, 1940's
Painted by Gerda Kazenwadel. Possibly done from memory of home in Palestine whilst a student at Camp .Dark brown framed and glazed water colour of interior of a room. Features stove, lead light window, whip on wall beams, wood paneling, pot plant, plates, blue hull yacht painted on wall, etc.camp 3, tatura, ww2 camp 3, gerda kazenwadel, internment camp artwork -
National Wool Museum
Book - Pattern Book, Cleckheaton Naturals Bk. 6, Cleckheaton, 1990s
Twenty four page knitting pattern book featuring eight colour pages. The front cover shows a woman outdoors wearing a grey, brown and cream patterned cardigan, holding a whip and leather gloves and wearing a stock hat.front: [printed] Cleckheaton / BOOK NO. 404 / Naturals Bk. 6 / IN 8 AND 12 PLYknitting, pattern, fashion, knitwear, cleckheaton -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Slide - FLEMING COLLECTION: 1950S BENDIGO SLIDE, 1950s
Bendigo 1950s. Bendigo Easter Procession. Easter Monday was 7 April 1958. Photo of arena with horse act. The horse is balancing on a stool while a man is on its back cracking a whip. Grand stand and Bethlehem was Bendigo Asylum in back ground.Kodachromeevent, easter fair, bendigo easter fair, bendigo 1950s. bendigo easter procession. easter monday was 7 april 1958. photo of arena with horse act. the horse is balancing on a stool man back cracking whip. grand stand bethlehem bendigo asylum -
Tennis Australia
Racquet, Circa 1920
A Wright & Ditson International squash racquet, with cloth shoulder reinforcements, string whiping around shoulders and shaft, rubber collar and handle grip. Materials: Paint, Wood, Lacquer, String, Ink, Gut, Rubber, Leather, Adhesive tape, Glue, Metaltennis -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Postcard, n.d
Black and white photo postcard. Large model 'rooster', hollow; man wearing it, visible outside rooster from waist up and knees down. Fake short legs attached to man, to make it look like he is a jockey. He is holding a jockey's whip.Front: 'THE "ROOSTER" AT THE DIGGERS SPORTS CARNIVAL, PORTLAND, TOYE PHOTO' -white script, bottom edge of postcard -
Coal Creek Community Park & Museum
Photograph, Portrait of young boy holding a whip
An example of the style of portraiture in the late 1800's early 1900's showing the stylised posing.26.1 - This is a portrait of a young boy holding a whip in one hand and leaning on a table which is draped with patterned material. There are palm leaves in the forground in front of the table and a backdrop of leaves behind the boy. The photograph is sepia in colour and was originally on a backing board with Yeomans of Numurkah Victoria.photograph, portrait, young boy, whip -
Anglesea and District Historical Society
Plate, Royal Doulton, Charles Dickens Plate, Estimated 1930's (1932+)
Mainly orange/yellow plate with figure "Barkis" the coach-driver holding a whip. Streetscape in background. Known as The Barkis Arnhem Tray. D3175 dated July 1930. Shape No. 8279. (ref: Nicholnack art in pottery - nicholnack.com.au/dickens-ware/dickens-plates-trays.html).Maker's mark: could be " L. Young". Back: Royal Doulton Dickens Ware - copyright / Made in England / with picture of man with beard. Also stamped with Lion on a crown - dated -1932+ / Shape no. 734 stamped before glazing. "Barkis". charles dickens plate -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - DEVONSHIRE & MUNGO MINES - LOCATIONS OF THE DEVONSHIRE & MUNGO MINES
Tracing of streets, school sand heaps and dam at Eaglehawk titled Devonshire & Mungo Mines. At the top of the page is sketches of the chimney of the 'Big 180', Old Chum Mine, United Devonshire and Old St Mungo Mines. Also a sketch of a windlass, whip & remains of whim. Eaglehawk.mine, gold, devonshire & mungo mines, devonshire & mungo mines, locations of the devonshire & mungo mines, eaglehawk, chimney of the big 180, old chum mine, united devonshire, old st mungo -
Clunes Museum
Book, DESIGNED BY PETER BUCKMASTER, WOOL PAST THE WINNING POST: A HISTORY OF THE CHIRNSIDE FAMILY, 1978
A BIOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY HEATHER B. RONALD OF THE HISTORY OF THE CHIRNSIDE FAMILY SOME OF WHO SETTLED ON LAND NEAR CLUNES, VICTORIA A SUMMARY OF THE CHIRNSIDE FAMILY'S MOVE TO THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE WOOL INDUSTRY IN THE 1800'S AND ONWARDSHARDCOVER BOOK BOUND IN BLUE LFABRIC WITH A GOLD EAGLE EMBOSSED ON THE FRONT COVER, COMPLET WITH DUST COVER. THE DUSTCOVER FRONT COVER HAS A COLOUR IMAGE OF A COLONIAL HOMESTEAD IN THE BACK GROUND WITH A LOADED DRAY PULLED BY OXEN TWO FIGURES WITH BULL WHIPS AT EITHER SIDE OF THE THE ANIMALS 203 PAGESnon-fictionA BIOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY HEATHER B. RONALD OF THE HISTORY OF THE CHIRNSIDE FAMILY SOME OF WHO SETTLED ON LAND NEAR CLUNES, VICTORIA A SUMMARY OF THE CHIRNSIDE FAMILY'S MOVE TO THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE WOOL INDUSTRY IN THE 1800'S AND ONWARDS book, chirnside family, clunes first sheep run -
Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society (operating as Lakes Entrance History Centre & Museum)
Photograph, 1900 c
Myrtle Fish collection daughter of George Price GrantSepia toned photograph showing large Bullock team of George Price Grant of Metung moving a small building in Metung district four men visible one on right with an axe other with whips. Bare hill and a few dead trees in background showing early land improvement for agriculture Metung Victoriaschools, postal services, genealogy -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - MUNGO AND DEVONSHIRE GROUP OF MINES, EAGLEHAWK 1888, 1888
Black and white photo: on bottom of photo ' The Mungo and Devonshire group of mines, Eaglehawk 1888. Looking south. At rear centre. The California Gully State School. Mid distance left to right ' Old St. Mungo' and 'Sadowa' Mines. Foreground left to right, four wheel cab, a windlass, a whip and a whim ( Eastwoods )organization, business, mungo and devonshire group of mines -
City of Kingston
Photograph - Digital image, c.1918
Roderick William Mills, known as Saltbush Bill, was the inspiration for several poems by A.B. Paterson. Born at Balnarring in 1869, Mills earned the title of Saltbush Bill whilst working on a cattle station in Queensland. On these long droving trips, he learnt the art of cracking stock whips of many different lengths and sizes, a skill that earnt him £100 after a Melbourne saddler, J.K. Jennings, suggested that no man could crack a 65-foot stock whip in three tries. Saltbush Bill succeeded on his first attempt and decided to make a career in entertainment with his skill. Over his career he performed for royalty, travelled and performed extensively overseas and lent his skill to fundraising efforts, particularly during the war. His last concert was given in the Boomerang Hall in Dandenong in 1926.A local resident of the City of Moorabbin, Saltbush Bill was an ambassador for Australia and a literary inspiration to A.B. (Banjo) Paterson. Saltbush Bill, his wife Hannah Louise Porter and their 11 children lived in Old Dandenong Road, Heatherton, where Saltbush Bill and Hannah conducted a market garden for many years. Saltbush Bill is buried in Cheltenham's Pioneer Cemetery.Black and white digital imageheatherton, banjo paterson, saltbush bill, stock whip, entertainment -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Souvenir - First Day Cover, May-82
Envelope, 1st Day Cover, Casterton Cup Centenary 1982. Depiction of horse and gig, man with whip, 'CARRIED BY HORSE & GIG', beneath cup centenary cancel stamp. LHS. 2HC Pre-stamped envelope common heath. Inside envelope, yellow card prinetd in black, detailing history of Casterton Race Club. -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - PHOTOGRAPH: PORTRAITS OF TWO SOLDIERS
Photograph: individual portraits of two soldiers set in one frame. Wooden frame glass cover. Man on Lh side: standing with arms behind back holding whip, army uniform ( WW1) long boots with spurs. Man on Rh side, army uniform, gloves held in left hand, white stick in right.organization, military, male portrait, ww1, army, portrait -
Puffing Billy Railway
Tool - Sickle, Grass
During early farming in Australia (before motorised whipper snippers) the hand held sickle was used to cut long grass, in this case in or around railway tracks. The inside of the blade's curve was sharp, so that the user can either draw or swing it against the base of the grass, catching the stems in the curve and slicing them at the same time. Historic - Railway Permanent Way and Works - track equipment - Grass SlasherWrought iron sickle with extended with wooden handle.puffing billy, extended sickle, farm tool, reaping hook, curved blade, grass cutting -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - MINING WHIP BENDIGO
Black and white photograph. Dilapidated wooden platform with vertical post with wheel at top. Wire attached to bucket and pulled by horse. Two males, one with horse, other emptying bucket. Inscriptions: on back - hand written in ball point pen 'Mining Whip Bendigo', 'A Richardson, 29 Harrison Street, Bendigo', 'Rec'd photo, 21.4.67'.mining, surface equipment, mining whip bendigo, bendigo, mines and mining, mine, mines, miner, male -
Brighton Historical Society
Skirt, late-nineteenth century & 1950s
This skirt belonged to Olga Black, a long-time Brighton resident. The linen used for the skirt were woven by Olga's great-grandmother Efstathia in the late-nineteenth century with flax grown on the island of Ithaca. In the 1950s, Olga made the fabric into a skirt, embellishing it with hand embroidery. Olga Maria Black was born in Melbourne in 1930, the daughter of Ithacan migrants Constantine and Toula Mavrokefalos. Constantine first emigrated to Australia in 1902, returning to Greece circa 1912-13 to serve his home country in the Balkan Wars. Toula's family had left Ithaca for Romania when she was only six months old, but she happened to be visiting the island at the very time that Constantine arrived, fresh from the war. Within three weeks they were married, and when Constantine returned to Melbourne in 1914 his new bride came with him. Constantine had trained as an accountant, but his qualifications were not recognised in Australia. Changing his surname to the Anglicised "Black", he started off working in his older brother Dionysios's cafés before going into business on his own. In 1917 he opened the Paris Residential Café at 54-56 Swanston Street, which offered both dining and accommodation. The business saw some years of success, but did not survive the Great Depression. Constantine died in 1944. Olga's mother Toula learned to sew as a child, while growing up in the Romanian village of Brila. She developed her skills making lace and embroidering items for her trousseau. Some of the linen she embroidered had been woven from flax on Ithaca by her own grandmother, Efstathia. During the Depression, when money was scarce, Toula embroidered at home, doing work for a factory in Flinders Lane. Using a cotton reel, a threepence and a sixpence she created and embroidered designs on hundreds of blouses. Olga spent her preschool days sitting at the table where her mother worked. Toula would involve Olga by allowing her to help choose the colour combinations. Toula lived with Olga in Brighton until her death in 1976. Olga inherited her mother's sewing skills. She re-invented some of Toula’s trousseau nightdresses and skilfully altered other clothing, making dresses which she wore around Brighton for many years.Ankle-length full cream linen skirt with multi-coloured cross stitch embroidery featuring mountains, birds and trees. Fullness is pleated into wide waist band. Left side opening. The fabric widths have been whipped together by hand probably at the time the cloth was woven in the late-nineteenth century. The skirt is machine stitched.skirt, linen, hand woven, embroidery, ithaca, migration, greek diaspora, olga black -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - B/W, Oct-86
The bullock team was part of a parade held on the main street of Halls Gap in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of Major Mitchell's visit to the area. There was also a plaque unveiled in commemoration of the Wildflower Show and its many volunteers.The photo shows a crowd watching a bullock team hauling a dray with five children sitting in it down a road. The bullock driver is walking alongside holding a long handled whip over his shoulder. A wagon pulled by draught horses can be seen behind the bullock dray. Buildings can be seen to the right rear of the photo and trees line the left side of the street.events, parades -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - MINING REPORTS - JOHNSONS REEF EXT'D G M C MINE MANAGER'S REPORT
Handwritten extracts from the Johnsons Reef Ext'd G. M. C. Mine Manager, Wm. Stubbs Report dated Aug. 7th 1888, 12-2-1895 and Aug 2nd 1892. Report mentions an accident caused by the trucker neglecting to fasten the truck in the cage, cost of sinking the shaft and selling a second-hand whip-pole to Mr. Liddle for one pound.document, gold, mining reports, mining reports, johnsons reef ext'd g m c mine manager's report, wm stubbs, j stubbs, the constellation coy, mr liddle -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - HARRIS COLLECTION: PHOTO FEMALE AND BABY
Black & White 'Yeoman & Co 47 Chapel St Prahan Instantaneous Photograph' printed on portrait photograph. Pencilled caption Mrs Stephen Dalton with question mark on reverse. Young mother holding baby. Voluminous period dress with baby dress also noteworthy. Child wearing sandals with slotted button straps. Child holding whip. Excellent photo resolution.Yeoman & Co 47 Chapel St Prahran.photograph, person, female and baby -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - MAGGIE BARBER COLLECTION: PHOTO-COPY OF A PHOTOGRAPH, 1871
Photograph - Black and white photo copy of a photograph of Charles Deynes Barber, Melbourne, Australia, from the photo album of Fanny Elizabeth Whibley 1848-1930. Charles Barber, in riding attire,knee high boots. Whip in hand, sitting on a turned wooden chair, resting his left arm on a circular wooden hall table, with a sculpture of a horse on the table top.Charles Deynes Barber, Melbourne, Australia. From the photo album of Fanny Elizabeth Whibley 1848-1939.photograph, person, charles deynes barber -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Newspaper - VICTORIA QUARTZ - PHOTOGRAPHS OF MINING
Four photographs from a Supplement dated Thursday, November 14, 1901. Top photo is a picture of the Victoria Quartz poppet legs, buildings and a large chimney. The second photo is a puddling machine. In the photo is a circular area with water in it and an island in the centre with a log across it. A horse is harnessed to one end of the log. There is a man behind the horse and a dray in the background. The third photo is a whip. It is a pole held at an angle by two smaller poles. At the top is a wheel. There is a rope over the wheel with a bucket on the end. There are two men to the right of the whip. The bottom picture is a man dollying. He has a half barrel and he is working the water with a short pole with a handle on each side. The barrel has a drainage pipe in the bottom. There is also a dish, two buckets and a shovel around the barrel. There are two photocopies of the page. One didn't get all the fourth picture copied.photo, victoria quartz, victoria quartz, photographs of mining, puddling machine, whip, dollying -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - B/W, Oct-86
The bullock team was part of a parade held on the main street of Halls Gap in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of Major Mitchell's visit to the area. There was also a plaque unveiled in commemoration of the Wildflower Show and its many volunteers.The photo is taken from the rear of a bullock team pulling a dray down a road. Three children can be seen sitting in the dray and its back is out of shot. Two men are walking to the left of the team, the closest to the camera holding a long whip over his shoulder. To the far left people can be seen lining the street and in the right background a range of peaks can be seen.events, parades -
Tennis Australia
Racquet, Circa 1905
A rare Wisden 'Crawford the Exceller' tennis racquet, with rare spliced throat, cloth tape shoulder reinforcements, and, a unique whipped, cricket bat shaped handle. Manufacturer's details impressed along shaft on obverse; model details impressed across throat on reverse. The initials E.W. impressed across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Cloth tape, Inktennis -
Southern Sherbrooke Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - Bill Hermon Snr and his bullock team
B&W photo of Bill Hermon Snr standing on a dirt road, wearing a hat, shirt, waistcoat and trousers, and holding a long bullocky's whip over his right shoulder. The land to the right of the photo rises steeply and is treed. Bill's bullock team is on a track or ledge about a metre above the road level. The first four animals can be seen. Photo dated 1913-1925. -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - MCCOLL, RANKIN AND STANISTREET COLLECTION: CENTRAL GARDEN GULLY GOLD MINING CO NL, TRIBUTE AGREEMENT, c1937
McColl Rankin & Stanistreet, Central Garden Gully Gold Mining Co NL, Tribute Agreements with dates names and addresses. a/ 10.10.1935. EW W Williams, 319 McDougal Rd Golden Square, H I Mattina, 270 Woodward Rd, Golden Square. b/ 12.11.1935. Andrew Michelson, 321 High St, Bendigo. Charles Brawn, 113 Gladstone St, Quarry Hill, Bendigo. c/ 12.12.1935. W Menadue, Whip Hill, Golden Square. J F Menadue, Young St, Golden Square. D/ 12.12.1935. A W Richards, 11 Horace St, Quarry Hill, Bendigo. A H V Richards 11 Horace St, Quarry Hill, Bendigo. We agree to terminate the within agreement. e/ 12.12.1935. A W Richards, 11 Horace St, Quarry Hill. A H V Richards, 11 Horace St, Quarry Hill, Bendigo. f/ 6.1.1936. A W Richards, 11 Horace St, Quarry Hill. A H V Richards, 11 Horace St, Quarry Hill. g/ 13.1.1936. W Menadue, Whip Hill Golden Square. J F Menadue, Young St, Golden Square. h/ 13.0.1936 W Menadue, Whip Hill Golden Square. J F Menadue, Young Street, Golden Square. i/ 15.1.1936 E W Williams, 319 McDougal Rd, Golden Sorganization, business, mccoll rankin & stanistreet, central garden gully gold mining co nl, mining -
Southern Sherbrooke Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - Champion steeplechaser, Mosstrooper, with his owner and trainer, Robert Gustavus “Gus” Powell, in the saddle
B&W photo of Australian champion steeplechaser, Mosstrooper, with his owner and trainer, Robert Gustavius "Gus" Powell, in the saddle. Gus is wearing a pale hat and a light-coloured suit and is carrying a whip. He has a pipe in his mouth. He was a personal friend of William Hermon Snr. The photo may have been taken in Lysterfield. There is a large cleared area with what appear to be low hills in the background. -
University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus Archives
Poster - Black and white and colour prints, Information Branch Victorian Department of Agriculture, Field Machinery
Collection of photographs pasted on cardboard. (1) Students ? (2) Student on a ride-on grass cutter near Luffmann Ponds labelled, "Photograph by Information Branch Victorian Department of Agriculture Ref. No 1981 (914-43)." (3) Student on ? In Field Station. (4) Students using lawn mower and whipper snipper near Engineering Building. "VCAH" on reverse. (5) Student on ride-on grass cutter on Oak Lawn. Found in Fred Taylor's office, former mechanic. In 2015.students, grass cutter, luffmann ponds, field station, lawn mower, whipper snipper, engineering building, vcah, oak lawn -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
... whips ...Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The British were not interested. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Baleen, or "Whalebone" The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Baleen whales do not have teeth. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone piece. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
... whips ...Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The British were not interested. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Baleen, or "Whalebone" The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Baleen whales do not have teeth. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070. Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone vertebrae. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips