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"The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World" Roll 4, Section 44/44

Benjamin Russell and Caleb Pierce Purrington1848

New Bedford Whaling Museum

New Bedford Whaling Museum
New Bedford, United States

[ The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World is viewed from right to left ]

This very final scene appears not to be contemporaneous with the rest of the Panorama. There is a visible seam in the painting and the remainder of the scene bears only little relevance to what went before. What is meant to be shown could be a childbirth scene, as women in the Fijis were often segregated either alone or with a midwife during childbirth. The final view of the steamer remains unidentified. End of Roll 4

Most likely roll 5 would have begun around this point. From the original broadside advertisements, we know the Panorama went as far as St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. This section has been missing for at least 100 years.

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  • Title: "The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World" Roll 4, Section 44/44
  • Creator: Benjamin Russell and Caleb Pierce Purrington
  • Date Created: 1848
  • Location Created: New Bedford, Massachusetts
  • Type: Panorama
  • Medium: Distemper on cotton, Watercolor
New Bedford Whaling Museum

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