Albany's Historic Whaling Station > Records

PAINTING - IRRAWADDY RIVER DOLPHIN

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Richard Ellis

c. 1975

Subcollections

Overview

Painting of a small, blunt-headed, grey dolphin with a distinctive, rounded head and no beak, gouache on on blue card, framed and mounted with inscription (37).

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-RE1999.381

Item type

Themes

Material

Width

410 mm

Height or length

440 mm

Depth

15 mm

Weight

1.52 kg

Inscriptions and markings

IRRAWADDY RIVER DOLPHIN (Orcaella brevirostris)

A little, grayish-blue dolphin, Orcaella ("little orca") is never found far at sea, but is restricted to riverine and estuarine habitats in southeast Asia. Irrawaddy dolphins have been observed spitting mouthfuls of water as they surface to breathe, but the purpose of this peculiar behavior is unknown. These animals have been exhibited and trained in an Indonesian oceanarium, and in 1979 the first Orcaella calf was born in captivity. The calf was 25 inches long, the mother about 6 feet.
37.

Verso: Smithsonian label checklist # 37 Packing case # 3, 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