Printing Plate. Whaling Scene. Steel. 5.75 x 3 inches. A larger whaling vignette, with a small boat holding seven sailors approaching a whale, harpoon in the hand of the leader. In the distance, another small boat rows toward one of the larger three-masted whaling vessels in the distance, a captured whale in tow. Medium steel gray, with large areas of deeper gray toning and some handling marks. Engraved on a thin plate, with vertical stress fractures at both ends. Both are large, but neither affect the integrity of the vignette. A very desirable piece. Extremely similar to the vignette that appears on notes of the Merchants Bank of Norwich, Connecticut, but with some small differences. Those notes bear the imprint of Draper, Welsh & Co, and thus the present piece is likely the work of that firm as well, though it is not marked. A heavy card sleeve is included.
