Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Harpoon Gun |
Place of Origin |
Massachusetts, New Bedford |
Artist or Maker |
Grudchos & Eggers |
Date |
c.1857 |
Materials |
Black Walnut, Cast Steel, Brass |
Dimension Details |
Length: 38 1/2"; Barrel: 22" Bore: 1" |
Description |
This harpoon gun with a cast steel barrel and a black walnut stock with brass fittings is crafted with front and rear sights and a percussion lock. A hickory ramrod with a brass thimble accompanies the muzzle loading weapon, which was designed for whale hunting and used with exploding projectiles called bomb lances. Guns like this were very effective against bowhead whales in arctic ice, and came into general use in the 1850s after the opening of the bowhead fishery in the Western Arctic. The gun is marked "Grudchos & Eggers/ N. Bedford Mass" on the breech and barrel and "Cast Steel" on the barrel. Julius Grudchos and Selmar Eggers were New Bedford gunsmiths who were active from 1856 to 1860. |
Provenance |
Richard A. Bourne Co., Inc., Hyannis Port, Massachusetts by 1970 Sold to The Dietrich American Foundation, 1970 |
Object Name |
Harpoon Gun |
Object ID |
5.3.789 |
Search Terms |
whaling |