Albany's Historic Whaling Station > Records

PAINTINGS - (a) BAIRD'S BEAKED WHALE (b) GOOSEBEAK WHALE

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Richard Ellis

c. 1975

Subcollections

Overview

2 paintings in single framed work (a) BAIRD'S BEAKED WHALE - long, grayish-brown bodied, marked, with bulbous forehead, cylindrical beak with two lower jaw teeth, and small, triangular dorsal fin set far back on the body (60) (b) GOOSEBEAK WHALE - torpedo-shaped, light pinkish-grey colored with white markings, short, sloping forehead and indistinct, white beak with small teeth emerging from the lower jaw (61) ; gouache on blue card, framed and mounted with inscription

Historical information

Collection of 106 of paintings by Richard Ellis that were selected by the Smithsonian Institution to form a traveling exhibit of the marine mammals of the world. The collection was purchased by Perth businessman Kevin Parry in 1985 and donated to Whale World, now known as Albany's Historic Whaling Station.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-128-RE2025.451a.b

Item type

Artworks

Material

Card

Gouache

Metal

Paper

Perspex

Width

810 mm

Height or length

440 mm

Depth

15 mm

Inscriptions and markings

BAIRD'S BEAKED WHALE (Barardius bairdii)
This the largest of all beaked whales; a specimen that stranded in California in 1910 was measured at 42 feet. It has been recorded from the Aleutians, British Columbia, Washington, and California. Named for Spencer Baird, second secretary of the Smithsonian Institution , this whale has what is believed to be the longest gestation period of any cetacean; 17 months.
60.

GOOSEBEAK WHALE (Ziphius cavirostris)
Although none of the beaked whales can accurately be described as "common," the goosebeak (also known as Cuvier's beaked whale) is probably the most frequently observed. It is found in all the world's oceans except the high Arctic and Antarctic, and has been reported to strand relatively frequently. The coloration varies from dark purplish-brown to fawn, and the head and back are often lighter colored or even white. Like all beaked whales, the goosebeak is usually covered with scars and scratches, but the origin of these marks is not clearly understood.
61.

Verso: Smithsonian label checklist # 61 & 62 Packing case # 2, AWHS accession number

Contextual information

The paintings represent a body of work by well-known American marine conservationist, author, artist and natural historian Richard Ellis (1938-2024).

Keywords

Richard Ellis

Smithsonian Institution

Albany's Historic Whaling Station

Marine Mammals

Place made

United States

Year

c. 1975