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Family favourite object two

 Image shows watercolour illustration of two whale jawbones with a woman standing next to them to show how big they are. They are about 2m long.

These jawbones are over 2m tall. Imagine how big the whole whale was! Hunting whales was popular because their blubber (fat) could be made into oil. Oil was also found in their jawbones. Sailors tied the jawbone vertically to the ship masts to drain the oil out. 

These two bones come from different whales. One was excavated near the Museum. London whale hunters brought parts of the whales back to Greenland Dock in Rotherhithe. The oil was very valuble because it was used as a fuel to light people's homes. Whale bone was used to make corsets – a special kind of underwear women used to wear to make their waists smaller – ouch!

Find out more by visiting our Thames Highway gallery and complete this whale jawbones challenge (Word 87kb).
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