Albany's Historic Whaling Station > Records

PAINTING - CARIBEAN MANATEE

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Richard Ellis

c. 1975

Subcollections

Overview

Painting of 2 grey/brown manatees, walrus-like with large, rounded bodies, paddle-shaped fluked tails, and two flippers, gouache on blue card, framed and mounted with inscription (103).

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-RE1999.369

Item type

Artworks

Themes

Art and Design

Nature

Material

Card

Gouache

Metal

Paper

Perspex

Width

410 mm

Height or length

440 mm

Depth

15 mm

Weight

1.52 kg

Inscriptions and markings

CARIBBEAN MANATEE (Trichechus manatus)

Also know as the Florida manatee or the North American manatee, this species is found in the coastal waters of the southeastern United States, all the way through the Caribbean, and south to the northern coast of South America. It is a fat, fully aquatic mammal, reaching a length of 10 feet, and a weight of over 500 pounds. Manatees feed on water plants, and they are such efficient feeders that they have been used to clear clogged waterways of plants, especially water hyacinths. In Florida they are endangered by boat traffic on the canals.
103.

Verso: Smithsonian label checklist # 103 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

Smithsonian Institution

Albany's Historic Whaling Station

marine mamm

Year

c. 1975

Primary significance criteria

Artistic or aesthetic significance