This postcard depicts a 50 foot whale caught in the Arctic Circle off Norway and was issued under British printed paper rate postal regulations.
British printed paper rate postcards were commonly used in the early twentieth century for commercially distributed photographic subjects, especially industrial and maritime scenes. The reference to the Arctic Circle and Norway reflects the era of modern Norwegian whaling expeditions that supplied oil and meat to European markets. Informational text on the reverse positions the image within a commercial narrative of scale, yield, and byproducts.
The image shows the large whale suspended by crane at a dockside, secured across heavy timbers while workers and onlookers gather below. A ship is visible alongside the quay, reinforcing the industrial setting of landing and processing. The reverse is headed Printed Paper Rate and includes descriptive text noting a five and one half hour battle, approximate weight of 25 tons in water, and references to whale meat, oil used in margarine, and bone used for guano.
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