Whaling Scenes Album
Content Description
The album features pasted-down photographs and ephemera, along with some unpasted materials. Materials consist of two newspaper clippings from 1818, three photographic postcards from the 1900s, three letters between 1908-1923, lists of numbered and identified photographs in the album, and 171 photographs with the majority being of whaling vessels in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The photographs show vessels and occassionally their crew at different New Bedford wharves and in open water. Fourteen 8 x 10" bromoil/bromide photographic prints were kept loose in the back of the album. The newspaper clippings and one postcard reference the sea serpent of Cape Ann and Gloucester in Massachusetts. The three letters reference information about the printing of the photographs and the creation of the album. The photographs were printed in 1908 by P. B. Gifford using his personal collection of negatives, which likely were created between 1880-1907.
The album's photograph captions and lists identify 52 whaling vessels. The captions and lists were likely written by P. B. Gifford or Zephaniah Walter Pease of New Bedford. Some captions include the vessel name and type as well as occassionally the date and their geographic location.
The identified vessels are:
A. R. Tucker (bark), Abram Barker (bark), Alexander (steamer), Andrew Hicks (ship), Beluga (steamer), Belvedere (steamer), Bertha (bark), Bertha D. Nickerson (schooner), Bowhead (steamer), C. W. Morse (schooner), California (bark), Canton (bark), Charles W. Morgan (bark), Commodore Morris (ship), Daisy (brig), Desdemona (bark), Eliza Adams (ship), Ellen A. Swift (schooner), Era (schooner), Eunice H. Adams (brig), Falcon (bark), Franklin (schooner), Greyhound (bark), Herman (steamer), Horatio (ship), Jeanette (steamer), Jireh Perry (ship), John R. Manta (schooner), Joseph R. Manta (schooner), Josephine (bark), Karluk (steamer), Leonora (brig), Lottie Beard (schooner), Margaret (schooner), Mermaid (bark), Morning Star (bark), Niger (ship), Palmetto (unidentified), Pedro Varela (schooner) Pehel (bark), Platina (bark), Rousseau (ship), Sea Fox (bark), Sea Ranger (bark), Sullivan (brig), Sunbeam (bark), Swallow (ship or bark), Thrasher (steamer), Vineyard (unidentified), Wanderer (unidentified), William A. Grozier (schooner), and William Baylies (steamer).
The identified locations are:
the Arctic Ocean, Hatteras Ground, Herschel Island (Canada), Hudson Bay (Canada), Merrill's Wharf, New Bedford, and Rodman Wharf
One individal is identified as Frank Lewis.
Dates
- 1818 - 1923
- Majority of material found within 1880 - 1908
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers. As a preservation measure, the researcher is required to follow extra handling procedures due to the materials' formats and condition. Researchers must schedule an appointment with the Archives for onsite access as far in advance as possible; a minimum of three weeks is requested. Contact Archives@mos.org for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection is in public domain.
Biographical / Historical
New Bedford, Massachusetts has an extensive whaling history, stretching from the 1700s to the 1900s, and was once considered the whaling capital of the world during the 1800s. As a port, the city heavily relied on the whaling industry, which made it also one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.
Charles Henry Taylor, Jr. (1867-1941) was a life member of the Boston Society of Natural History and served as its president from 1927-1935. Taylor was an extensive book and manuscript collector who wrote about American lithography. He was also a member of the American Antiquarian Society and several other groups in Greater Boston area. Read more about Taylor at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3110844.
Extent
.21 Linear Feet (9 folders with 171 of photographs, 3 letters, 3 postcards, and 2 news clippings)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Original order of the album contents was kept including the album pages and loose materials. Loose materials that were stuck in the front and back of the album (letters, photographs, and the list) were put in their own folders, and the folders are arranged in order of what was found in the front of the notebook before the album pages and then what was found in the back of the notebook after the album pages.
Custodial History
Gifted to the Boston Society of Natural History from Charles H. Taylor, Jr. in 1924. Found in storage, 2023.
According to an April 10, 1908 letter found in the album, P. B. Gifford of the Editorial Department of The Morning Mercury in New Bedford, Massachusetts sent a package of whaling photographs to Charles H. Talyor, Jr. At that time, Gifford accumulated nearly 400 photographic negatives since 1891, which he had been given or purchased. He then used 119 negatives to printed a collection of 238 photographic prints for Taylor. Gifford sent Taylor a list of the photographs and photographs being numbered on their backs. Gifford also indicated that he would enlarge some negatives and print "a few 8x10 bromides of whalers under sail."
From a 1923 letter found in the album, Charles H. Taylor, Jr. of the Boston Globe wrote to Dr. Glover Allen, who was the librarian of the Boston Society of Natural History. Taylor indicated that he was sending whaling photographs and was willing to pay for them to be made into a album. Taylor noted that the intended album was then to be sent to Zeph (Zephaniah Walter) Pease of New Bedford, who would then identify and title the photographs.
Processing Information
Album pages and loose materials were separated from the album binder due to the binder's impact on the fragile materials, especially when turning pages. Material types, such as the pages, letters, large photographic prints, and the binder, are grouped together in their own folders.
- Title
- Whaling Scenes Album Finding Aid
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Brittany Contratto (Senior Archivist)
- Date
- November 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Edition statement
- First Edition
Repository Details
Part of the Museum of Science, Boston Archives Repository