When scrimshaw is mentioned, most people think of carving on sperm whale teeth only. But scrimshaw also includes engravings on skeletal whale bone–such as the jaw bone, called pan bone and ivory from other marine mammals such as walrus. Although scrimshaw is widely associated with nautical themes and designs of the 19th century whaling industry, vintage scrimshaw was also produced as tribal art in many cultures. Today, scrimshaw is recognized as a unique medium in which present-day artists have developed their own modern themes. Scrimshaw reproductions may take several forms. There are - New carvings on genuine ivory or bone with the deliberate intent to create an "antique” - New carvings on genuine ivory or bone sold as signed and dated contemporary art - Clearly marked synthetic museum reproductions and mass marketed - Unmarked synthetic replicas This scrimshaw work is done on a sperm whale's tooth. It is one of two pieces by artist Gary Tonkin in Flagstaff Hill’s collection. Sperm whales can live for 60 or even 70 years, so the tooth could be quite old. It came from the whaling station in Albany, Western Australia, which ceased processing whales in 1978 and is now a whaling museum. The two works were commissioned by Flagstaff Hill in the 1980s. Tonkin could spend from a few days to a few months in intensive work on each piece of scrimshaw. He is a world-renowned Master Scrimshander and a Fellow of the Australian Society of Marine Artists (FASMA), and lives in Albany, Western Australia. Gary Tonkin, FASMA – Tonkin was born in 1949 in Portland, Victoria, and grew up there with a history of whaling and related industries. He moved to Albany in southwest WA in 1971 and worked as an Export Meat inspector for the Federal Government. This small town also had a historical connection to whaling. The Cheynes Beach Whaling Station was still operating, and there were even three whaling ‘chaser’ vessels at the old jetty. In 1975, his employment now permanent, Tonkin bought an old cottage near the bay, purchased some whales’ teeth, and began learning the sailors’ art of scrimshaw, combining this with his artistic skills and knowledge of history. His job gave him access to buy as many whale teeth as he could afford, straight from the whaling station. Tonkin gained further marine knowledge as he sailed on the schooner ‘Esperance’ from Fremantle to Mauritius in 1988. He watched the sailors at work and experienced the rough and stormy sea conditions first-hand. Tonkin later visited whaling museums, galleries and libraries in England and America to gather reference materials and information on all aspects of whaling and scrimshaw. In 1993 he was Commissioned to engrave six large whale teeth, from the Albany whaling station, for the USA Gallery at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. This work is now in the museum’s permanent collection. From that time, Tonkin began working full-time as a Scrimshander. Tonkin’s work is now in galleries and museums in America and Australia, as well as in private collections. He is the founder of the Albany Maritime Heritage Association and was the inaugural President. In the 1990s he actively and successfully campaigned for the preservation of the Cheynes Beach Whaling Station in Albany, which is now Whale World, an open-air whaling museum. His continuing work as a Scrimshander contributes to the preservation of the art of scrimshaw and the history of whaling. This scrimshaw represents the ancient craft of scrimshaw, associated with mariners in the whaling trade in the early 19th century. The work is also Nationally significant for being created by world-renowned Scrimshander, Gary Tonkin, from Albany, Western Australia. Scrimshaw; whale tooth carved with an image of two whaleboats hauling a dead whale back to the mother ship. Inscribed Title and signature of artist Gary Tonkin.Inscribed "Bringing in the whale". Signature "G Tonkin"flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, maritime museum, flagstaff hill, perth, whaling, whales, australia, scrimshaw, scrimshander, gary tonkin, g tonkin, bone, tooth, craft, albany, western australia, cheynes beach whaling station, whale world, portland, engraving, maritime art, sperm whale's tooth, albany whaling station, albany whaling museum

The dead whale washed ashore at Warrnambool and has been in the photographed position for around a month when the photograph was taken. Warrnambool is Victoria's Southern Right Whale Nursery and whales have been visiting for hundreds of years. They were hunted almost to the point of extinction, but after whaling was outlawed in 1935 the numbers have been growing. Southern Right Whales live in the sub-Antarctic and migrate to warmer waters around southern Australia in Winter. Female whales migrate to the "nursery" areas close to the shores to bear their calves staying in the nursery for many weeks, allowing claves to feed and gather strength for the return journey to sub-Antarctic waters. The Southern Right Whale can be recognised but its smotth, black back with no dorsal fin. A number of crusty outgrowths, called callosities, are found on the head.Three images of a dead whale washed ashore at Warrnambool. warrnambool, whale, death, sea, shore, southern right

Colour photographs of whales and surfers at Logans Beach Whale nursery, Warrnamboolwhale, beach, surfing, logans beach, warrnambool

One of a collection of photographs purchased from Photo First, Thompson Avenue, Cowes when it closed in June, 2014. Dennis Harris on the whale, 2nd to right of lady in head scarf. One of the students, Helen Forrest, believes it was in 1948.Large Black & White photograph of school children and several adults standing on and near a whale carcass near the old pier, at Cat Bay, Phillip Island.whale carcass, cat bay phillip island, dennis harris, photo first phillip island, helen forrest, cowes primary school

Students were from Cowes State School. One of those students was Helen Forrest who believes it was in 1948. One of a collection of over 400 photographs in an album commenced in 1960 and presented to the Phillip Island & Westernport Historical Society by the Shire of Phillip IslandPhotograph of stranded whale at Cat Bay with school children examining it. local history, photography, stranded whale, black & white photograph, wild life, whales, coastline, cat bay, john jenner, bryant west, cowes primary school

This spoon rest is a souvenir item for tourists to purchase. It is a souvenir of the presence of Southern Right whales at Logans Beach, a few kilometres from Warrnambool’s Central Business District. Each year Southern Right whales have been migrating from sub-Antarctic waters to the east coast of Australia during the winter months. Some whales have been coming each year from approximately May to October (since the 1980s) to have their calves at Logans Beach near Warrnambool. This area is now known as Warrnambool’s Southern Right Nursery. The whales calve about every three years and stay in the local waters along with other whales for about three months and over the past thirty years or so over 100 calves have been born at Logans Beach. The whales are now a winter tourist attraction (if an unpredictable one) as they can be viewed from a raised purpose-built platform area and they are often very close to the shore.This spoon rest is of interest as it is a souvenir of the Southern Right Whale Nursery at Logans Beach, Warrnambool and it has a practical use in the kitchen. It indicates the popularity of whale-viewing at Logans Beach and the importance of the presence of the whales, both scientifically and economically as the annual whale migration to our waters is now a vital aspect of tourism in Warrnambool. This is a Warrnambool souvenir cream-coloured china spoon rest in the shape of a whale or fish. It has a hole at the top for hanging the item on a hook and the printed material is in black and includes a sketch of a mother whale and calf. It has the distributor’s name on the back in yellow writing with an outline of a map of Victoria with a dot to show the location of Warrnambool.‘Southern Right Whale Nursery, Warrnambool’ ‘Lady Bay Creations, Warrnambool, Australia’ southern right whales, warrnambool’s southern right whale nursery, history of warrnambool

Whale East Beach 1934black and white photograph of a whale carcass surrounded by canvas with several males inspecting itwhale, seal, east beach

Author, Mary Mitchell was the daughter of Charles Wellings early resident of Eden. Charles took many of the early photos of Eden while his brother, Henry, did the research on the Imlay Bros (very early settlers of Orbost) and early Twofold Bay settlers. Mary Wellings married Roy Mitchell of Lower Towamba. In Eden there are streets and a park named for both families.These books record the history of the whaling industry on the south coast of New South Wales.Two copies of a small thin ten page booklet with blue laminated covers. It has black print and a black photo of a whale tail on the front cover.It was written by Mary Mitchell. The book relates the history of whaling at Twofold Bay on the south coast of New South Wales.2116.1 - has a library sticker on the front cove - bottom left hand cornertwofold-bay whaling mitchell-mary welliings

This videotape has material related to the annual arrival in Warrnambool’s coast (mainly at Logan’s Beach) of Southern Right Whales. These whales come annually to the Western District coastline about May and stay until about October. and some calve at Logan’s Beach – hence the name Logan’s Beach Whale Nursery. The whales have become an important tourist attraction in the area. Most of the whales return to the area regularly and have been named from their particular markings. Wilma the whale was a great favourite and was seen about every three years in Warrnambool but is now appearing in other parts of Australia. The tape is dedicated to Robert Ulmann who was a well-known artist and conservationist in the Warrnambool region. He did much to ensure the whales received protection and publicity in the Warrnambool environment. This tape is now in an outdated format and will be transferred to a more appropriate form as the material in it needs to be preserved. The whale migration to Warrnambool is a significant natural history event and material from the 1990s is important. This is a videotape in a black case with a white label with black printing pasted on. The outer box is white with a white label with blue and black printing. An image of a whale is on the outer label. ‘Warrnambool’s Winter Visitors’ ‘Update 98 Wilma Returns 7thJune 1999’ ‘This video dedicated to the memory of Robert Ulmann’ ‘Canya Dantz perform the song, Warrnambool Whale Wash’ whales in warrnambool, robert ulmann

Found at Point Riccardo in 1960's. Humpback whales migrate along the east coast of Australia from calving grounds in Queensland to feeding grounds in Antarctica.Whales migrate along the east coast of Australia from calving grounds in Queensland to feeding grounds in Antarctica and can be seen from many high spots from Marlo to Cape Conran.Whale vertebra bone. Possibly from a humpback whale.maritime whaling bone whale

'A Series of Unwarranted Events' shares four stories of frontier violence faced by the Gunditjmara people, highlighting the brutal realities of the invasion and colonisation of their land. The European invasion of western Victoria was marked by violence, including countless killings and massacres of Aboriginal people. Stories of skulls nailed to doorways and rivers running red serve as haunting reminders of an unforgivable past, standing as witnesses to the strength and resilience of the Gunditjmara people. The collaged landscapes deliberately avoid showing the actual sites of violence. They remove all signs of physical trauma, focusing instead on the silence and emptiness of a scarred land and a painful history that demands acknowledgement. The work honours the resilience that endures, even as the land and collective memory bear the marks of past wounds. The Convincing Ground massacre took place between a group of sailors and the Gunditjmara - Kilcarer clan circa 1833, however the exact date is uncertain, and some international theorists consider the Convincing Ground massacre a myth. Portland shore served the Gunditjmara people as a place of ocean abundance. The circumstances are that a whale had come on shore and a Gunditjmara clan went to collect the meat as they had for thousands of years. A group of sailors protested that they had ownership of the whale as Portland now ‘belonged’ to them, and so a violent and devastating conflict started. 'Untitled (The circumstances are that a whale had come on shore)' speaks to the murders of the Kilcarer Gunditj clan over the ownership of whale meat. All members, bar two, of the Kilcarer Gunditj clan were slain. Artist Bio Hayley Millar-Baker is a Gunditjmara woman from Victoria, Australia. Through contemporary approaches to photography, she draws strength from her Gunditjmara bloodlines, history, and the landscape – confronting and crafting past, present, and future stories of South-East Aboriginal existence, and honouring the connectedness of intergenerational experiences of Aboriginality. Millar-Baker’s works draw from her grandfather’s archive, family albums, and her own treasured moments captured on and off Country. Meticulously layering, cutting, and repositioning imagery – she depicts a coexistence of times, of cultures, of transformation. Through the application of digital technologies, Millar-Baker aligns disparate times and places – melding the collected imagery from her extensive archive together as one, to tell alternative stories and histories. What would it have been like if Southeast culture had thrived in coexistence with colonisation? Through both materiality and process, Millar-Baker’s assemblages critically explore cultural practices and knowledge’s and investigate notions of blood memory, the evolution of cultural practices, and south-east Australian history, in relation to her own Aboriginal heritage. Millar-Baker’s reflective narrative process enacts a powerful social commentary that acknowledges the strength and resilience of Aboriginal Australia, reimagines what could have been, and reveals the complexities of Aboriginality now.photograph

p.533.fictionA nineteenth-century novel in which a young seaman joins the crew of the whaling ship Pequod whose fanatical Captain Ahab is in determined pursuit of the white whale Moby Dick.american fiction, whaling

The 1980s saw a rise in campaigns for Antarctica to be designated a World Park. Black’s screenprints celebrate the creatures of the continent, however invocations such as ‘protect Antarctica from all mineral and oil exploration and exploitation’ remind the viewer that these creatures are in peril. Black printed 500 of these postcards (described as ‘Antarcticards’) at the Redletter Press in Brunswick and they were distributed around the world, reaching as far as Macquarie and Heard Islands. The campaigning was successful, with Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke announcing that Australia would not support an agreement that would open the Australian Antarctic Territory up to mining and oil drilling.Donated by the artist8 prints in total

2 pieces of petrified whale bone.whale, whale bone, marine

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 during the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries was an important industry providing an important commodity. Whales from these times provided everything from lighting & machine oils to using the animal's bones for use in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and many other everyday items then in use.Whale rib bone with advanced stage of calcification as indicated by brittleness. None.warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whale bones, whale skeleton, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips, whaleling industry, maritime fishing, whalebone