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PAINTING - PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN

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Richard Ellis

c. 1975

Subcollections

Richard Ellis Collection

Overview

Painting of black and grey streaked dolphin, gouache on blue card, framed and mounted with inscription (20.)

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-RE1999.315a-c

Item type

Themes

Material

Width

410 mm

Height or length

440 mm

Depth

15 mm

Weight

1.52 kg

Inscriptions and markings

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN (Lagenirhynchus obliquidens) The only "lag" found in the North Pacific, this species is easily recognized by its sharply hooked bicolored dorsal fin and its intricate pattern of stripes and blazes. Often seen in huge schools, it is famous for its leaping ability. Unlike the North Atlantic species, L obliquidens does well in captivity, and there are few oceanariums on the west coast of the United States or in Japan that do not exhibit these exuberant little dolphins. They reach a maximum length of 7 feet, and are found from Faja California north to Alaska, and east to the waters of Japan, China, and Korea. (20.)

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

Albany's Historic Whaling Station

Smithsonian Institution

Marine Mammals

Place made

United States

Year

c. 1975

Statement of significance

Rarity:106 of these paintings were selected by the Smithsonian Institution to form a traveling exhibit of the marine mammals of the world. All these paintings were bought by Kevin Parry and donated to Whale World

Primary significance criteria

Artistic or aesthetic significance

Scientific or research significance

Comparative significance criteria

Object’s condition or completeness

Rare or representative

Well provenanced

Last modified

Wednesday, 15 October, 2025

Completeness

100

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