#gone whalin

[thebaffledcaptain]

I don’t know how to explain my love of history without inevitably returning to the fact that history is so human. Our history will always be human. I’m transcribing a virtually untouched whaling logbook from just about 200 years ago knowing well that the man who wrote it is long dead, but somehow even from just his run-on-sentence-length entries for every day of his voyage it is impossible not to think about how human he was, too.

Sometimes his straightedge wasn’t level because he was human. He spelled the name of another ship wrong based on the way he heard it because he was human. He wrote about getting dinner right after writing about killing a whale because he was human, and he had a favorite way of ending his entries because he was human.

It’s just so strange and wonderful to think about how even two centuries apart I find things to adore about this unknown, unassuming man I never shared the planet with. I don’t know anything about this whaleman besides what he writes in his logbook. I don’t even really know his name. But though his name may be lost to history, at the very least I know he is not, because I know that on December 21st of 1825 he thought it was important to tell me that the water was very blue.

[thebaffledcaptain]

Been doing some more transcription work and I've just been consistently delighted by what I find in this logbook, so I present:

A collection of delightfully imperfect doodles from the first several pages of George E. Folger's logbook of the whaleship Mariner from 1840-44

Starting off strong with a lovely bird and an American flag right on the inside front cover, under where his name is written out in big block letters (not pictured).

...and immediately cutting to this funky little man. We've got a little bit of Picasso going on.

Here's a lovely 18th century gentleman. I’m not sure who he is but he’s actually quite... proportionate (I mean no offense to some of his other drawings, but... well, you'll see) and the shading is excellent! I feel like he must have had a reference.

Another 18th century gentleman. If he looks familiar to you, I’m pretty sure this is just Thomas Jefferson—he looks remarkably similar to George Healy's portrait of him. Once again I feel Folger must have been working from reference.

(More under the cut)

Oh. Hello. (Maybe no reference on this one.)

Another bird, in a similar position to the first one.

Ah. You don't look... quite finished.

Had to include this one because of how intricate this is—"A Breech Loading Shot Gun."

Does this look a little like John Adams to you? I want to say it's this portrait judging from the buttons on the waistcoat. The wig is not the same, I know… if anyone can identify a more similar portrait or subject, I'd be curious.

Two drawings on this page. Not sure who the first man is but the second one looks like another Jefferson.

I figure I'll end for now with this fantastic macaroni. I can only imagine he's from the author's imagination with the 18th-century getup but the rather 19th-century hair and mustache. Either way, I'm fond of him.

It just brings me so much joy to look at this logbook—as always, it's so human. He loved to doodle, so much so that he would do it over his writing and sketch paintings of the presidents and little characters he came up with... I find it so endearing.

[thebaffledcaptain]

mizzen mast? oh you misheard me, it's mixxen mast. yeah the whole "she" thing wasn't working out. the ship is nonbinary now. sorry

[thebaffledcaptain]

Some more drawings from dear old whaleman George Folger. I loved these because you can tell he's revisiting them; he's determined to get them right, even when no one is going to see them.

The doodles are also getting sparser, to my disappointment. It's a little bit sad, honestly—whereas he started the log with his name in big block letters, once you get a year, two years into the voyage, the drawings kind of just fade out. Perhaps they're losing their novelty.

[thebaffledcaptain]

nantucket historical association emails stop making me want to run away to new england challenge

[pushcametoshove]

Finally got around to reading lastowka’s Gone Whalin’. One of my favorite passages so far.

[lastowka]

Gone Whalin' is free on kindle for the next few days as one of the digital goodies from our Anaconda show. Get your copy if you haven't already!