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Step into the world
of 19th-century American whaling with Monstrous: Whaling and
Its Colossal Impact, a powerful new exhibition that explores
the sheer scale—physical, economic, and human—of the
nation’s whaling industry and its legacy.
Explore hundreds of striking artifacts from the Museum’s
renowned whaling collections—tools, old photographs, ship
models, documents, and more—most of which have never been
exhibited together before. Hefty iron trypots, harpoons,
darting guns, and blubber hooks tell the story of the
extraordinary lengths commercial whalers went to harvest
oil-rich blubber and spermaceti. These items speak to the
staggering risks and resource demands of an industry that
lit America’s lamps and greased its machines for over a
century.
Through vivid paintings, lithographs, and rare historic
photographs, Monstrous brings to life the perilous
activities involved in chasing, capturing, and processing
whales—many of these scenes taken from our Robert Cushman
Murphy and H. S. Hutchinson & Co. photography collections.
Visitors will come face-to-face with images of whalers
“cutting in” and “trying out” aboard floating factories,
viewed alongside the very tools used in the hunt.
At the forefront of the exhibition is Or, The Whale, a
monumental 51-foot mural by artist Jos Sances. Shaped like a
life-sized sperm whale and created from 119 intricately
inscribed scratchboard panels, the mural immerses viewers in
a visual journey through three centuries of American
industrialism. Influenced by Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick and
Rockwell Kent’s iconic illustrations, Sances’s work weaves
together scenes of industry, innovation, and ecological
transformation. Visitors can dive deeper into the mural
through an artist video and interactive digital experience
powered by ThingLink.
The exhibition also features exquisite consumer goods made
from whale byproducts—items of both beauty and utility. See
ornate examples of scrimshaw, including knitting needles,
corset busks, boxes, and a rare scrimshaw lathe and bandsaw.
These artifacts underscore how deeply whale oil and
materials were embedded in 19th-century daily life.
Monstrous goes beyond tools and trade to tell personal
stories of the people behind the industry. Discover the
lives of multicultural whaling crews, including Cape Verdean
whalers like Antoine DeSant, who settled in New London in
1860. Learn about women who defied conventions by joining
whaling voyages not only as wives and mothers but also as
navigators, nurses, and log keepers. One remarkable figure,
Charlotte “Lottie” Church, signed on as an assistant
navigator in 1909 and was the last woman to sail aboard the
Charles W. Morgan during its whaling career.
Two extraordinary whaling logs offer deeper insight into
life at sea—one from the bark Ohio (1875–78) complete with
whale stamps, and another handmade in 1821 from burlap and
sailcloth by a Cape Verdean whaler. These documents, along
with models of whaling ships and samples of commercial whale
oil, offer a comprehensive and moving look at an industry
that helped shape our region and nation.
Don’t miss the chance to experience this bold and
thought-provoking exhibition that blends art, history, and
storytelling to explore whaling’s monstrous impact on the
world—and the people—who built it.
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