Historical information
A baleen whale has hard bristly baleen that hangs from its upper jaw inside its mouth instead of teeth. Baleen is made from a protein called keratin, just like human hair and fingernails, and its colour can vary between species, from black to yellow or white. The whale uses the tough, flexible baleen like a sieve to catch its food, filtering the small sea creatures out of the sea water it releases from its mouth.
In the19th Century, whales were hunted for the products that could be made from their bodies, such as oil for lubricating machinery, soap making, lamps, heaters and fuel for the lighthouse lights. The flexible baleen was used for whip handles, carriage springs and umbrella ribs. It was also used for the skirt hoops, hat ribs, and rigid ‘stays’ in tightly fitting bodices to enhance their figures.
The Southern Right Whales, as well as Blue Whales and Humpback Whales, are baleen whales. The Southern Rights annually visit the ocean off the southwest coast during the breeding season. In the early 1800s whalers hunted along this coastline in their dangerous pursuit of money for the precious cargoes of whale oil and bones. The population of these large animals dwindled quickly and by the late 1840s the whaling industry dwindled. Whaling recommenced from the 1940s to the 1980s when the whale products were used to make margarine and dog food.
Significance
The baleen sample has been used to educate people about whaling and about the properties of baleen.
The baleen sample is significant for its association with 19th century women's fashion. It helps to understand how garments were supported to shape a woman's figure.
The baleen sample represents a period when whales were hunted and killed to provide income and products for for the local settlers and for the export industry.
Physical description
Baleen sample from a whale's jaw. Its black shiny hard yet flexible surface is slightly rippled and textured. One end is fringed and the other and a smooth cut edge. The colour varies in places, with stripy brown colouring.
Subjects
- flagstaff hill maritime museum and village,
- great ocean road,
- shipwreck coast,
- baleen,
- whalebone,
- baleen whale,
- keratin,
- 19th century,
- whaling industry,
- women's fashion,
- stays,
- bodice,
- women's figures,
- fashion,
- clothing,
- whale oil,
- baleen colour,
- whale hunting,
- whale products,
- southern right whale,
- blue whale,
- humpback whale,
- southwest victoria,
- whalers,
- whale bones
References
- Whales.org What is baleen?
