Whatever adventure, romance, or excitement the thought of a whaling voyage might bring, whaling was, at its heart, a business. And like every business, that means paperwork, and lots of it. And in the 19th century it was all done, laboriously, by hand, with pen and ink bottle.
On May 3, the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum opens “On an Ocean of Ink,” an exhibition that presents a selection of all the business, legal, official and personal correspondence and forms that were the backbone of every whaling voyage. From dry, instructional, business letters between ship owner and captain, to heartfelt, longing letters to and from loved ones at home, they offer a seldom seen insight into the day-to-day realities for Sag Harbor whalemen as they sailed around the world in search of the leviathan.
Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum is at 200 Main Street, Sag Harbor. For details, visit sagharborwhalingmuseum.org.
Staff Writer on Apr 26, 2023