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Whale Stamp

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Martha's Vineyard Museum

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About this artifact

When a whaleship would capture a whale, the captain or mate would note it in the logbook. Sometimes they would note how many barrels of oil came from the whale. This whale was stamped and drawn in Captain Henry Manter's logbook of the Ship Virginia's whaling voyage in 1847. In the center of the whale, is the number 70, which is the number of barrels of oil that came from that particular whale. He wrote "No 11," indicating that it was the 11th whale they caught on the voyage.

Date:
1847

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