✳flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

Harvesting Light: New England Whaling in the Nineteenth Century – Energy History

energyhistory.yale.edu · 1,712 words · saved by 1 readers

This module covers the New England-based commercial whale fishery in the middle of the nineteenth century. The documents cover three themes:  how did whalers’ labor on board ship and their dependence on the whale-oil economy shape their ways of valuing and understanding whales; how were transitions from an “organic to a “mineral” energy regime experienced by whalers and whale-oil consumers; and, how did whalers and consumers understand the ecosystem change brought on by energy demands? In the 19th century, the demand for safe indoor lighting grew alongside American’s population. Before petroleum-derived lamp oils like kerosene became readily available in the 1860s, people lit their homes with energy derived from seed or animal fats.  Among these options, whale oil – especially that taken from sperm whales – produced a clean, bright flame with no smell. In the long winters of Boston, New York, Providence and other eastern cities, whale-fueled lamps lit homes and factory floors, streetla

Overview Library items Additional Reading Author Bio Timeline Overview Bathsheba Demuth This module covers the New England-based commercial whale fishery in the middle of the nineteenth century. The documents cover three themes: how did whalers’ labor on board ship and their dependence on the whale-oil economy shape their ways of valuing and understanding whales; how were transitions from an “organic to a “mineral” energy regime experienced by whalers and whale-oil consumers; and, how did whalers and consumers understand the ecosystem change brought on by energy demands? In the 19 th century,

Explore this link on the map →

saved by

related reading