Natural Resources

The natural resources collections offer centuries of evidence about how Americans have used the bounty of the American continent and coastal waters. Artifacts related to flood control, dam construction, and irrigation illustrate the nation's attempts to manage the natural world. Oil-drilling, iron-mining, and steel-making artifacts show the connection between natural resources and industrial strength.
Forestry is represented by saws, axes, a smokejumper's suit, and many other objects. Hooks, nets, and other gear from New England fisheries of the late 1800s are among the fishing artifacts, as well as more recent acquisitions from the Pacific Northwest and Chesapeake Bay. Whaling artifacts include harpoons, lances, scrimshaw etchings in whalebone, and several paintings of a whaler's work at sea. The modern environmental movement has contributed buttons and other protest artifacts on issues from scenic rivers to biodiversity.


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Corset and Whalebone Scrimshaw Busk
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1825 - 1835
- fashion
- 19th century
- ID Number
- CS.287645.001
- catalog number
- 287645.001
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Whale Oil Lamp
- Description
- From a simple hanging lantern suitable for use in a barn to an elegant blown glass table lamp, whale oil illuminated the homes and businesses of America from the 18th century well past the time of the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859.
- Kerosene and other petroleum products largely replaced whale oil for illumination by the end of the century. However, the use of other whale products for various purposes lasted well into the 20th century.
- date made
- mid 1800s
- ID Number
- DL.377184
- catalog number
- 377184
- accession number
- 136485
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Bill, Boob McNutt, and Boob McNutt's Geography
- Description
- Camera-ready pen and ink drawings by Rube Goldberg for his comic series Bill, Boob McNutt, and Boob McNutt's Geography dated June 10, 1934. Goldberg drew for the Bill series between 1931 and 1934, for the Boob McNutt series between 1915 and 1934, and for the Boob McNutt's Geography series in 1934.
- Bill tries to promote his product Thinneroo to overweight baseball players and inadvertently causes the batter's bat to become thinner and to break. Boob McNutt's Jelly Roll Bus Line takes passengers to what he thinks is Washington, D.C. Boob's Geography comic cell gives clues to the identity of a U.S. state.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- June 10, 1934
- publisher
- Star Company
- original artist
- Goldberg, Rube
- ID Number
- 2006.0226.41
- catalog number
- 2006.0226.41
- accession number
- 2006.0226
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Ivory and Bone Yarn Swift
- Description
- Swifts, or yarn-winders, were used in the home in place of an extra pair of hands. They held skeins of yarn or thread while it was being wound onto spools or rewound into measured lengths. This is a particularly large example, which fastened to the edge of a table with the clamp on the bottom.
- date made
- 19th century
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- TE.T03311.000
- catalog number
- T03311.000
- accession number
- 59652
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whale Oil Lamp
- Description
- From a simple hanging lantern suitable for use in a barn to an elegant blown glass table lamp, whale oil illuminated the homes and businesses of America from the 18th century well past the time of the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859.
- Kerosene and other petroleum products largely replaced whale oil for illumination by the end of the century. However, the use of other whale products for various purposes lasted well into the 20th century.
- date made
- mid 1800s
- whale oil lamps used
- 18th cenutry
- discovery of petroleum
- 1859
- ID Number
- DL.316030
- catalog number
- 316030
- accession number
- 66046
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Oil Painting or Overpainted Print, Capturing a Sperm Whale
- Description
- The most dangerous part of a dangerous job was working in the actual whaleboat, first chasing and then capturing and killing the prey.
- This picture is a copy or an overpainted example of a famous print first issued in 1835, believed to be the first indigenous American whaling print. It is derived from a sketch by whaleman Cornelius Hulsart, who lost an arm on the whaler Superior and subsequently became an artist.
- The original print was one of a pair produced to raise money for Hulsart, and it was dedicated to Superior's owners N. & W.W. Billings of New London, Connecticut. It is a fairly accurate portrayal of the danger in approaching and killing a wounded, enraged whale. As shown by the red, bloody whale spout, the whalers have struck the prey’s lungs or arteries, but the animal was still strong enough to break a boat in half and flip a crewman into the water.
- date or original painting
- 1835
- whaleman and artist
- Hulsart, Cornelius
- owner of the ship Superior
- N & W. W. Billings
- ID Number
- DL.65.0876
- catalog number
- 65.0876
- accession number
- 256396
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Bill
- Description
- Camera-ready pen and ink drawings by Rube Goldberg for his two comic series Bill and Boob McNutt dated June 12, 1932. Goldberg drew for the Bill series between 1931 and 1934, and the Boob McNutt series between 1915 and 1934.
- Bill and girlfriend Sally try to recover stolen jewels with the help of old Captain Jim. Boob and Mike and Ike are thought to have been killed while flying on the damaged dirigible.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- June 12, 1932
- original artist
- Goldberg, Rube
- publisher
- Star Company
- ID Number
- GA.23496
- accession number
- 1972.299186
- catalog number
- GA*23496
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Chromolithograph of "Colorado Desert and Signal Mountain"
- Description
- This chromolithograph of “Colorado Desert and Signal Mountain” was originally drawn by Charles Koppel and printed as Plate XI in the first report of volume V of Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, “Explorations In California for Railroad Routes, to Connect with the Routes near the 35th and 32nd Parallels of North Latitude.” The volume was printed in 1856 by Beverley Tucker in Washington, D.C.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1856
- original artist
- Koppel, Charles
- publisher
- U.S. War Department
- author
- Williamson, Robert Stockton
- printer
- Tucker, Beverley
- graphic artist
- unknown
- publisher
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
- ID Number
- GA.10729.26
- accession number
- 62261
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Allen's Gun Harpoon
- Description
- In the later 19th century, guns with explosive charges shooting the harpoons took the place of hand tools for catching and killing whales. They were much safer, for they could be shot at a whale from greater distances than a hand lance could be applied. They also penetrated the whale’s skin deeper and were harder for the animal to dislodge.
- Gun harpoons were also far more efficient, for the steam whalers could approach the prey directly and did not need labor-intensive whaleboats and their highly trained crews any longer.
- Designed to be fired from a shoulder gun, this nonexplosive style of harpoon was invented by Oliver Allen of Norwich, Conn. to fasten to whales prior to killing.
- date made
- mid-1800s
- harpoons replaced hand tools
- late 19th century
- patentee
- Allen, Oliver
- inventor
- Allen, Oliver
- ID Number
- AG.056230
- catalog number
- 056230
- accession number
- 012333
- patent number
- 5949
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Harpoon with Toggle Head
- Description
- The first step in catching a whale was throwing at least two sharp harpoons into its back, to ensure that the whaleboat was securely fastened to its prey. Harpoon shafts were made of soft wrought iron, so that they would bend and not break off when twisted, which risked losing the wounded whale.
- A line at the bottom of the harpoon’s wooden handle attached it to the whaleboat. Once in the whale’s flesh, the sharp toggle tip swiveled sideways, making it harder for the tip of the weapon to pull out. Whales normally dove deep after the first prick, to try and escape the sharp jab from the surface of the ocean. This harpoon shaft was twisted by a descending whale.
- date made
- 1882
- maker
- D. & D.
- ID Number
- AG.056237
- catalog number
- 056237
- accession number
- 012284
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaleship Skimmer
- Description
- After a whale’s blubber was melted down into oil in the try-pots, a few solids, like skin and gristle, remained floating on the surface of the oil. These were removed with a skimmer. The tool’s long handle helped keep the crew from being burned or splashed with hot oil. The leftover oily pieces of flesh, or “fritters,” were then tossed under the pots and recycled into fuel to keep the fires burning.
- date made
- 1880s
- ID Number
- 1990.0018.066
- catalog number
- 1990.0018.066
- accession number
- 1990.0018
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Lithograph of "South End of S. Inez Mountains & S. Buenaventura Valley"
- Description
- This lithograph of “South End of S. Inez Mountains & S. Buenaventura Valley” was originally drawn by A.H. Campbell. It was printed in the first report of volume VII of Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, “Report of Explorations for Railroad Routes San Francisco Bay to Los Angeles, West of the Coast Range, and from the Pimas Villages on the Gila to the Rio Grande, near the 32nd Parallel of North Latitude, Lieutenant John G. Parke, Corps of Topographical Engineers, Assisted by Albert H. Campbell, Civil Engineer.” The volume was printed in 1857 by A.O.P. Nicholson in Washington, D.C.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1857
- graphic artist
- A. Hoen & Co.
- original artist
- Campbell, A. H.
- publisher
- U.S. War Department
- author
- Parke, J. G.
- publisher
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
- graphic artist
- A. Hoen & Co.
- ID Number
- GA.16332.048
- catalog number
- 16332.048
- accession number
- 1930.110179
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Fluke Lance
- Description
- The most dangerous act in the dangerous business of whaling was “spading flukes.” The whaleboat drew up close alongside a desperate, unpredictable whale on the water surface, and a crewman used a boat spade or fluke lance to sever the whale’s tail tendons. This effectively immobilized the prey, for the whale couldn’t swim without its tail.
- According to James Temple Brown, who wrote the 1883 catalog of the Smithsonian’s whaling collection, the fluke lance was exceedingly rare and was regarded as “a monstrosity by all the fraternity”. This rare inscribed example was used aboard the starboard whaleboat of the bark Sea Fox.
- Date made
- ca 1880-1889
- authored whaling reference material
- Brown, James Temple
- maker
- Driggs, James D.
- ID Number
- TR.056358
- catalog number
- 056358
- accession number
- 012298
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Sperm Whale Tooth Watch Stand
- Description
- Scrimshaw known to have been made specifically for men is comparatively rare. This unfinished tooth was hollowed out at the back to carry a gentleman’s pocket watch inside, perhaps set on a wardrobe, a bureau or a dressing table overnight.
- Patriotic imagery was very popular on American scrimshaw. At the top is a large eagle in flight clutching arrows and an olive branch; the hole for the watch is framed by a simple scalloped line. The space at the bottom was probably reserved for the owner’s initials or possibly a date, and the two holes were likely drilled for ivory buttons. The piece was unfinished when it was donated in 1875 by J. H. Clark of Newport, R.I.
- date made
- 19th century
- Associated Date
- collected
- ID Number
- DL.024905
- catalog number
- 024905
- accession number
- 4331
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Hand Lance
- Description
- After harpoons fastened the whale and whaleboat together, a whale was given plenty of time and rope to dive, try to swim away, and otherwise wear itself out. Once the exhausted animal returned to the surface to breathe, the whaleboat approached it, and a hand lance, also known as a killing iron, was used to actually dispatch the animal.
- Hand lances had long shafts, to allow the point to penetrate deep into the whale’s body in search of the thick neck arteries. The tips of the killing irons were leaf or oval shaped and extremely sharp, so that they cut on the way in and on the way out, and were easier to remove and stab repeatedly. Cutting the neck arteries prevented the animal from deep diving and hastened its bleeding to death.
- This nickel-plated example was manufactured and donated by Luther Cole of Fairhaven, Mass.
- Date made
- 1880s
- maker
- Cole, Luther
- ID Number
- AG.056357
- accession number
- 012326
- catalog number
- 056357
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Head Spade
- Description
- Once a whale was caught, killed, and brought alongside the mother ship, the outer flesh and fat layer, or blubber, was peeled off the carcass. Then the remains were drawn onto the vessel’s deck for further processing.
- The heavy head spade was used for decapitating the whale, by chopping through the vertebrae at the base of the animal’s skull. Then the head and bone could be further processed.
- ID Number
- 1990.0018.102
- catalog number
- 1990.0018.102
- accession number
- 1990.0018
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Carved Bailer Handle
- Description
- Whalemen used long-handled bailers to remove hot whale oil from large try-pots into cooling tanks, and from those tanks into storage barrels. They had long handles to prevent the handler from being splashed or burned with molten oil.
- This example’s wooden handle has figures of whales whittled into its surface to indicate the number and species of mammals that crossed its greasy path. The “B.H.” refers to bowhead, “S” for sperm, “H.B.” for humpback, and “W” for right whale.
- date made
- 1828
- ID Number
- AG.055809
- catalog number
- 55809
- accession number
- 12284
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Whaler's Whalebone Scraper
- Description
- This odd tool was used to scrape the flesh off the bones from a freshly caught whale. It was the last step in processing the whale’s body before the bone was partially dried on deck and then stowed below in the cargo hold. Once the ship was back in port, the bone was placed on end in large yards to dry further.
- The bone and baleen—rows of bony strips in a whale’s upper jaw that filter food from seawater—from a whaling voyage could yield as much as $50,000, or even greater profits than the oil itself. Baleen served a wide variety of purposes from buggy whips to umbrella ribs to women’s corset stays.
- date made
- 1880s
- ID Number
- AG.057778
- catalog number
- 057778
- accession number
- 012278
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Ship Model, Skipjack Gertrude Wands
- Description
- The skipjack is the last in a long line of sailing craft designed for work in the Chesapeake Bay oyster industry. First built in the late 1800s, this sloop-rigged, single masted vessel was easy to maneuver even in light winds, and its V-shaped hull allowed oystermen to work in shallow waters. This model represents the Gertrude Wands, a skipjack built by John Branford on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1899. It is named after a little girl who lived in the community of Inverness.
- Like bugeyes, skipjacks were built for oyster dredging under sail. But unlike the round-bottomed bugeye, the skipjack had a V-shaped hull, which was easier to build and did not require the huge logs of the traditional bugeye. Skipjacks were also smaller than bugeyes, ranging in size from 25 to 50 feet.
- By the early 20th century, skipjacks had replaced bugeyes and were the main dredging craft on the bay. An 1865 Maryland law restricting dredging to sail-powered vessels ensured the continued use of sailing craft for oystering. Only in 1967 was the law amended to allow the use of a gasoline-powered push boat on Mondays and Tuesdays of each week. A push boat is shown on davits at the stern (back) of this model.
- Maryland’s skipjacks are the last commercial fishing boats operating under sail in North America. In 1985, the skipjack was named Maryland’s official state boat. With the steep decline of the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay, most skipjacks have become floating classrooms for public education programs about the bay. Several have been donated to museums for preservation. Still, many people who live in the Chesapeake region harbor a sense of longing and nostalgia for the days when the large white sails of skipjacks filled the horizon.
- date made
- 1968
- date Gertrude Wands was built
- 1899
- built Gertrude Wands
- Branford, John
- ID Number
- TR.328687
- accession number
- 276670
- catalog number
- 328687
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Scrimshaw Ivory Jagging Wheel
- Description
- Pie crimpers or jagging wheels are among the most common scrimshaw items carved by American 19th century whalemen. They were useful, as well as decorative kitchen implements. The fluted wheel was used to cut dough or seal the top of a pie crust to the sides before baking.
- This example’s shaft is in the form of a snake or sea serpent, with a tongue in the shape of a three-tine fork. The fork was used to decorate or poke holes in the upper pie crust to vent the steam created by baking.
- date made
- 19th century
- Associated Date
- 19th century
- ID Number
- DL.388597
- catalog number
- 388597
- accession number
- 182022
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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