By Robert Rocha

Marine Life in the Grand Panorama

By Robert Rocha, Associate Curator for Science and Research, New Bedford Whaling Museum

Caleb P. Purrington and Benjaminin Russell. A pod of dolphins catches the attention of the crew of a merchant ship as it sails through the Cape Verde Islands. 1848. Roll 2. Tempera on cotton sheeting. NBWM 1918.27.

The 1848 Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World, by Benjamin Russell and Caleb P. Purrington, is a monumental work of art, both in its physical size (at 1,275 feet long) and in its detailed depictions of an important American nineteenth century industry. With action scenes, wildlife, and dramatic imagery of ports-of-call we are taken on a voyage around the world (without the discomfort of sleeping in a foc’s’le or eating hardtack). In addition, the scenes of New Bedford, shown just a year after it had been incorporated as a city, serve as visual historical marker of the constant activity along the waterfront.

Clearly, the focus of the Panorama was to illustrate the whaling story, and to then take this story on the road and sell tickets. Great detail, especially by Russell, was displayed in the rendering of ships, whale

Great Shearwaters. Photo by Peter Flood.

hunts, shore-side structures, and natural disasters.1 With so much focus given to the action scenes that involve large whales, it would be easy to overlook all of the other non-whale wildlife included in this painting, most of which is not shown in any level of detail.

The majority of the birds and the smaller cetaceans in the Grand Panorama are non-descript, appearing in varying levels of clarity. Few of the pelagic birds have feather patterns that aren’t just bands of black and/or white. The birds in the whaling scene in Roll 4 are barely more than swaths of white paint. In fairness to Benjamin Russell, who sailed onboard the ship Kutusoff out of New Bedford (William H. Cox, master, 1841-1845) for the entire sperm and right

1 In his obituary appears a note that Russell kept a sketchbook on his whaling voyage, and other evidence corroborates this. While it remains unknown, which of the two artists painted exactly what in the Panorama, the assumption is that Russell painted most of the important maritime content based upon his observations and experience. whaling voyage to the Pacific Ocean, it is unlikely that he had any natural history training.

Yet, the inclusion of this wildlife serves as a window into what Russell observed and noted during the voyage. It could perhaps indicate an appreciation for animals that survive in remote, and sometimes harsh, conditions. By including them in this enormous painting, even if only as a basic representation of their true features, he shares that appreciation and invites the viewer to note the animals’ presence and ability to thrive in those conditions. Traveling along the same course shown in the Grand Panorama, we will take a closer look at some of the marine life he encountered.

The first part of the voyage takes us east out of New Bedford Harbor to the North Atlantic island group of the Azores where ships are shown hunting sperm whales. No other animals are shown. This is not surprising, as there is no written evidence that the Kutusoff sailed here. Russell may not have

Caleb P. Purrington and Benjamin Russell. Seals and shipping off Cape Horn from the Panorama. 1848. Roll 3. Tempera on cotton sheeting. NBWM 1918.27.

known what else was there, other than the species most commonly hunted in that part of the Atlantic. It’s not until Roll 2, off the Cape Verde islands that we encounter the first generic groups of dolphins and birds.

The ship in the foreground, between Sal and São Nicolau, with a crew member holding onto the dolphin striker while standing over the water on the martingale stays, is in the midst of ten possible species. Seven of those are aquatic; the other three are airborne.

The pod of small odontocetes (toothed whales) at the bow of the merchant ship most resemble beaked whales. But, we should rule them out as a possibility because the flukes are shown with a notch. As a group, beaked whales don’t have notched tails. Those that do, won’t be found around Cape Verde. Similarly, we can eliminate harbor porpoises, even though they can be seen around these islands. They have rounder faces than the animals painted here. Thus, we can reasonably conclude that on that day, the crews were either getting a good look at a pod of oceanic dolphins – striped, spotted, rough-toothed, or long-beaked common, or a pod of ‘blackfish’ dolphins – pygmy killer whale, false killer whale, or melon-headed whale. It is surprising that Russell made very little effort to paint the dorsal fin of these animals.

Slightly to the left of the mystery dolphins are two grey birds that appear to be hovering over a small group of fish. Based on their color we can surmise that they would be a species of shearwater. In this location we could expect to see greater, manx, or sooty shearwater. All three species have a very broad range. Their presence here is no surprise.

In Roll 3 we are treated to an amusing display of native animals’ disinterested calm in the midst of human distress. As ships, including a foundering vessel, make the perilous voyage around Cape Horn, fighting the swirling winds and currents, several pinnipeds (members of the seal, sea lion and walrus family) lounge lazily on chunks of ice. The ambivalent demeanor of these animals, potentially South American fur seal, South American sea lion,

southern elephant seal, Weddell seal, or crabeater seal, lies in sharp contrast to the frantic, focused action around them. It is likely that these animals are one of the seal species, based on their poses and the shape of their heads. It should be noted that, unfortunately for the first three species mentioned, many of their interactions with mariners weren’t as innocuous as this. They were hunted for their fur and/or blubber.

This third roll of the Panorama shows us a wide variety of marine life and a reminder that the Kutusoff was outfitted to hunt both sperm and right whales. Russell includes the southern right whale in this roll and the North Pacific right in Roll 4.

Very shortly after rounding Cape Horn we pass a sperm whale hunt to reach the Juan Fernandez Islands, which are home to several endemic bird and plant species. In two of the coves are several long-necked wading birds. These may be cocoi heron (Ardea cocoi). Flying along the edge of the cove to the left of Alexander Selkirk’s cave, and past goats, which had been introduced to the island in the 1500s, are most likely Juan Fernandez petrels (Pterodroma externa), which nest only on this island.

In the middle cove, close to shore, and also at the lower left of the image are groups of flying fish. In this part of the Pacific, these could be tallfin, spotfin, sharpchin, or blackwing flying fish. Much further west along in the voyage, past Pitcairn Island, in the midst of the Marquesas are two sawfish, breaking the surface of the water in front of a French man-of-war. Here, we are left to guess which of the three Pacific species is represented – largetooth, green, or narrow.

We finish our exploration by focusing on an animal shown in great detail, the North Pacific right whale (NPRW). Roll 4 features an intense and detailed scene of a NPRW hunt. This species’ behavior belies the prevailing story about being the ‘right whale to hunt’. They react violently to being struck, as evidenced by the stove boat, and quite often sink after being killed. These were not placid creatures.

It is remarkable that Benjamin Russell was able to recreate so many details of a 42-month voyage. It is likely that he filled in sketchbooks when time allowed. Unfortunately, no such drawings exist. Clearly, attention was only given to the species we just examined when nothing else was happening. Yet, he put us on the deck of a whaleship so we could see what he saw. He and Caleb Purrington left it up to the viewer to dial those images into greater focus.

With action scenes, wildlife, and dramatic imagery of ports-of-call we are taken on a voyage around the world (without the discomfort of sleeping in a foc’s’le or eating hardtack). In addition, the scenes of New Bedford, shown just a year after it had been incorporated as a city, serve as visual historical marker of the constant activity along the waterfront.