The Whale Fishery: Attacking a "Right Whale" --and "Cutting In"

Art Historical Context

Step into the thrilling world of 19th-century American wh with *The Whale Fishery: Att a "Right Whale"and "Cutting In" a hand-colored lithograph the prolific firm Currier & Ives, circa 1860. vivid print (16 1/8 × 23 13/16 in.) captures two perilous stages of the hunt: whalers in small boats fiercely attacking a massive right whale with harpoons, and the gruesome "cutting in" process, where blubber is stripped from the carcass aboard the ship. Amidst churning seas and dramatic skies, it glorifies the bravery of seamen battling nature's giants. Whaling peaked in the mid-1800s as a vital industry, fueling New England's economy with whale oil for lamps, lubricants, and soaps, plus baleen for fashion like corsets. Right whales were prime targets for their high oil yield and tendency to float when killed—hence "right" whale. Currier & Ives, masters of affordable mass-produced prints, democratized such scenes, adorning middle-class homes with romanticized views of American enterprise and adventure. The hand-coloring technique enhances the lithograph's realism and vibrancy, showcasing the firm's signature detailed style. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Bequest of Adele S. Colgate, 1962), it offers a window into a fading era, just before petroleum eclipsed whaling.