Sketches from voyage of whaling schooner Penelope
Scope and Contents
Illustrated journal kept by boatsteerer John Julius Bertoncini while aboard the whaling schooner Penelope on a whaling voyage from San Francisco to the Artic Ocean, April 18, 1900 to September 7, 1902. The journal contains 50 water color illustrations that show the Penelope sailing, sailors engaged in whaling, and ship maintenance in the Artic Ocean. Also includes a crew list, the dimensions and tonnage of the schooner, and which crew members captured the whales.
Dates
- Creation: 1900 April 18-1902 September 7
Creator
- Bertoncini, John Justus (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.
Extent
.25 linear feet (1 volume)Biographical / Historical
The Schooner Penelope was a whaling schooner built in San Diego in 1889 as a pleasure yacht. Was later used for sailing in “Japan water.” Sailed 1898 to Kotzebue Sound on a goldmining expedition and returned to California in late 1899. Bought by H.E. Huffman & Co. and sailed April 18, 1900 on a whaling voyage to the Arctic Ocean, where it remained for two winters at “Baillie Island.” After capturing four whales the schooner was abandoned and sold to the natives at Herschel Island, on account of its battered condition.
John Justus Bertoncini (1872-1947) was one of two boatsteerers on the schooner. Besides serving decades on whalers and trading vessels, he was also an historian and artist, vividly illustrating his longtime maritime career. He was known as “Johnny the Painter.”
Details of the Schooner Penelope are directly from the sketchbook, including those phrases in parentheses. Some details in the biographical note for John Bertoncini are from public records found through Ancestry Library Edition.
Physical Location
MANU
Processing Information
Processed: July 2018 By: Baker Library Special Collections Staff
- Author
- Baker Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00528
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.
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