New London, CT 2017
This antique cauldron was used to heat blubber from whales to extract the valuable whale oil which was used as a lubricant and also burned in oil lamps before the widespread use of petroleum products and eventually electric lights. During the height of the whaling industry, New London was the second largest whaling port in the world, being surpassed only by New Bedford, MA. Remnants of the wealth brought to New London can still be seen in some of the buildings and mansions that are still in existence today. Today we no longer hunt these creatures, which were brought to the brink of extinction for some species.
Not only should this be a memorial for the whale men who hunted these giant animals, but also to the thousands of whales who may have been boiled down in these pots.
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