Albany's Historic Whaling Station > Records

PAINTING - STRIPED DOLPHIN

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Richard Ellis

c. 1975

Subcollections

Overview

Painting of blue streaked dolphin with black stripe running the length of the eye to the tail, gouache on blue card, framed and mounted with inscription (15.)

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-RE1999.317

Item type

Material

Width

410 mm

Height or length

440 mm

Depth

15 mm

Weight

1.52 kg

Inscriptions and markings

STRIPED DOLPHIN (Stenella coeruleoalba) From its Latin name - which can be translated as "blue-white"- one gets an idea of the coloration of this dolphin. It is the largest member of the genus Sternella, reaching a length of 9 or 10 feet. Striped dolphins are found throughout the temperate and tropical offshore waters of the world, and they are thought to be the species depicted in the famous "Dolphin Frieze" at the Queen's Palace at Knossos on the Island of Crete. (15.)

Verso: Smithsonian label checklist # 15 Packing case # 5, 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

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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