Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

Right Whale Illustrations

For the Right Whale, the best outline pictures are found in Scoresby’s work, though they are drawn on too small a scale to convey a desirable impression. Scoresby has only one picture of whaling scenes, which the narrator considers a sad deficiency since only well-executed pictures can provide a truthful idea of the living whale as seen by his hunters.

French Engravings by Garnery

The finest presentations of whales and whaling scenes are two large French engravings taken from paintings by Garnery. The first engraving depicts a noble Sperm Whale in full majesty, just risen beneath the boat, with the wrecked boat balanced on the monster’s spine. An oarsman is shown leaping from the prow amid the whale’s spout, while the crew’s heads are scattered in expressions of fright and the ship bears down in the stormy distance. The second engraving shows a boat alongside a barnacled Right Whale, with sea fowls pecking at creatures on the whale’s back. The foreground shows raging commotion, while the background presents a becalmed sea with a dead whale and the flag of capture. The narrator credits Garnery with either practical experience or tutelage from experienced whalemen.

French Whaling Art

The natural aptitude of the French for seizing the picturesqueness of things is particularly evident in their whaling paintings and engravings. Despite having far less experience in the fishery than England or America, the French have furnished both nations with the only finished sketches capable of conveying the real spirit of the whale hunt. English and American whale draughtsmen seem content with merely the mechanical outline, such as the vacant profile of a whale, which offers little picturesqueness. Even Scoresby, despite his renowned credentials, included technical engravings of boat hooks and other equipment rather than focusing on the living whale.