Background:

These delightful prints of Whales are from one of the rare volumes of Sir William Jardine's Naturalist's Library.  We particularly like the whimsical illustrations of the Whalers in their boats!

Comprised of 40 volumes, The Library was published by Sir William Jardine in the 1830s and 1840s.  The volumes featured over 1300 beautiful illustrations including mammals, birds, fish and insects.  An interesting aspect of each print is that only the subject was hand-colored leaving the background illustration as the original black engraving.