A wonderful 19th century hand coloured aquatint and etching depicting a South Sea whale fishery after the original painting by W J Huggins and engraving by T.Sutherland.
 
Inscribed to the bottom of the image 'A representation of the Ships "Amelia Wilson" & "Castor" off the Island of Bouro, with their Boats & Crew in the various process of Fishing, showing the manner the Spermaceti Whales are caught, also the mode of cutting them into the Ship & Boiling the Oil upon Deck. This plate is most respectfully Dedicated to Ph. Skelton, Andw. Stirton, Wm. & Nichols Esqrs, Owners of the said Ships by their most obedient humble Servant W.J. Huggins'.
 
The overall condition is excellent, with close inspection of the print showing a light crease to the right hand side where it has previously been folded .  Additionally, this piece has been freshly mounted and re-framed by my local framer and the end result with the new grey / green mount has given this image a real vibrancy. 
 
Note:  'Herman Melville, author of Moby-Dick (1851), judged William John Huggins to be one of very few artists able to portray a whale convincingly. Melville advised that "the only mode in which you can derive even a tolerable idea of his living contour, is by going a whaling yourself; but by so doing, you run no small risk of being eternally stove and sunk by him". Huggins, after several years at sea with the East India Company, established himself in London as a "Marine Painter, Printseller & Publisher [...] Merchants & Captains Supplied on Reasonable Terms".