A Trew Draught of the Whale as he was seen at Blackwall-Dock 1690

Here we have strange, weird and wonderful prints and paintings by Medieval and Renaissance artists. Sometimes it is difficult to explain the scene, the whole thing just seems so ridiculous, and we get a good laugh out of it.

Whaling, the hunting of whales for food and oil. Whaling was once conducted around the world by seafaring nations in pursuit of the giant animals that seemed as limitless as the oceans in which they swam. However, since the mid-20th century, when whale populations began to drop catastrophically, whaling has been conducted on a very limited scale. It is now the subject of great scrutiny, both by formal regulatory bodies and by nongovernmental organizations.