New Bedford Whaling Albums, 1868-1918
approximately 175 photographs in 4 albums
The New Bedford whaling albums contain approximately 175 photographs in 4 albums pertaining to the whaling industry in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Of the four albums, three were likely compiled by photographer Joseph Sisson Martin while the fourth was published by New Bedford bookseller H. S. Hutchinson & Co. All four albums (30.5 x 26.5 cm) are leather bound and show considerable wear. The Hutchinson album has some flaking of the leather cover. There are some loose pages, but in general the albums remain intact.
In 1903, H. S. Hutchinson & Co. commissioned the album Cutting In a Whale (Volume 1), which documents the processing of a sperm whale carcass in graphic detail. The 25 gelatin silver images document various stages of the process, including the whale being carved up while alongside a ship and various pieces being hoisted onboard for rendering into whale oil and other commercial products. The original photographs were taken by photographer and accomplished travel writer Marian Shaw Smith, who herself was married to a whaling ship captain. Smith rode along on the bark California as it sailed to the western Pacific Ocean and then procuded the images that went into Cutting In a Whale, developing and printing her roll film while at sea. Each photo is accompanied by a detailed caption.
The other three albums in the collection (Volumes 2-4) were produced by New Bedford photographer Joseph Sisson Martin in the 1910s. Martin primarily photographed whaling ships and associated craftsmen who worked around the wharves, creating a nostalgic tribute to a disappearing industry. Two of these albums also contain many earlier pictures that were taken by other photographers dating back to as early as 1868 and reproduced by Martin. Although specific photographers were not identified or credited by Martin, a number of photographs can be traced to earlier works by Joseph G. Tirrell, a major chronicler of New Bedford's whaling industry. Several of Martin's selections from Tirrell's body of work differ slightly from the Tirrell images held by the New Bedford Public Library. The third Martin album (Volume 4) may possibly contain mostly his own work. The majority of the images in this album are from 1905-1918, and each photograph is dated and captioned in a more detailed manner than the other two Martin albums. Throughout all three of the Martin albums, there are occasional checks or crosses in red pencil present in the right-hand margins. It is not clear when these markings were made or what they signify, though they may possibly represent a selection of photos that were intended to be used for some other purpose. Additionally, in the first Martin album (Volume 2) there are seven photographs of engravings of whale chases, while there are also two photographs (one in Volume 2 and another in Volume 4) of the half-sized model whaler Lagoda located in the Old Dartmouth Historical Society (now kept at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.)
- A.E. Wayland (Volume 4)
- A.R. Tucker (Volumes 2, 3, and 4)
- Alice Knowles (Volume 4)
- Andrew Hicks (Volumes 2 and 4)
- Bertha (Volumes 2 and 4)
- Canton (Volumes 2 and 4)
- Catalpa (Volume 3)
- Charles W. Morgan (Volumes 2 and 4)
- Commodore Morris (Volume 3)
- Daisy (Volume 4)
- Desdemona (Volume 3)
- E.B. Conwell (Volume 4)
- Eliza Adams (Volumes 3 and 4)
- Evelyn (Volume 4)
- Falcon (Volume 3)
- Francis Barstow (Volume 3)
- Golden City (Volume 2)
- Greyhound (Volumes 3 and 4)
- Harry Smith (Volume 2)
- Horatio (Volume 4)
- James Arnold (Volume 3)
- Josephine (Volumes 2, 3, and 4)
- Josephus (Volume 3)
- Kathleen (Volume 2)
- Laconia (Volume 3)
- Lagoda (Volumes 2 and 4)
- Leonora (Volume 2)
- Massachusetts (Volume 3)
- Morning Star (Volumes 2 and 4)
- Niger (Volume 3)
- Pedro Varela (Volumes 2 and 4)
- Platina (Volumes 2 and 4)
- Progress (Volume 2)
- Rousseau (Volume 3)
- Sullivan (Volume 2)
- Sunbeam (Volumes 2, 3, and 4)
- Swallow (Volume 3)
- Tamerlane (Volume 3)
- Viola (Volume 4)
- Wanderer (Volumes 2 and 4)
- William Graber (Volume 4)