Seated Whale Man wearing top hat and holding in his hand a telescope and on the table next to him is a "Whaling Print by Huggins", American, circa 1850.
InformationSixth Plate Daguerreotype depicting a seated whale man wearing a tall top hat, American, circa 1850. The sitter’s face resembles John Wayne, the famous actor, who is wearing a formal jacket and vest with dress pants, and is holding a telescope. The tones of each piece of clothing are different, and this makes each piece of clothing more visible along with his fancy white shirt. He is also wearing a scarf knotted in the middle that appears to be extremely long. On the table to his side is a print of an active whaling scene by W.J. Huggins. Like most early daguerreotypes the image is backwards.
Provenance: The Norman Mintz Collection.
Reference: “The Kendall Whaling Museum Prints by M.V. & Dorothy Brewington”, Published by the Kendall Whaling Museum in Sharon, MA, copyright 1969. On page 59, print #189 is an illustration of this print which is titled “South Sea Whale Fishery” painted by "W.J. Huggins Marine painter to her Majesty and engraved by T. Southerland, Jan. 1 1825, 13 ¾ x 19 ½". The print shown in the daguerreotype is a copy of an American hand-colored lithograph that was published by J. Baillie, 118 Nassau Street, NY. This lithograph shows a similar image based on the Huggins painting, and this print is smaller than the English version and measures 8 5/8 X 12 7/8.
circa 1850
