The whalebone you may or may not bring to mind, is really baleen, the filtering system inside a whale's mouth. The whale bone you see in this postcard is an archway made from a whale's jawbone.
The Alameda Gardens, where you can see this archway even today, was created in 1815 as an area for recreation in Gibraltar. The archway was put up in 1842 but unfortunately the gardens fell into disrepair over time. It wasn't until 1991 that they were rescued and made into botanical gardens. This year in June the Earl and Countess of Wessex (Prince Edward and his wife) visited the Alameda Gardens and were met by the director at the Whalebone Arch.
The postcard dates from before 1902 because it is an "undivided back" card with no room for a message unless alongside the picture.
A post for Sepia Saturday. A click on the button will take you to the blog.
Is that a real whalebone Sheila? Corset is!
ReplyDeletefunny one!
Delete:) :)
DeleteVery interesting archway. Your arch is making me wonder about the history behind the name "Whalebone Junction," a crossroads in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1930s somebody dropped the skeletal remains of a whale over there to attract people to his gas station. They were removed when the station burned down in the 1940s.
DeleteThank you, rob, I wouldn't have had a clue.
DeleteThat's impressive!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting postcard!
ReplyDeleteI would love to see it in color
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a giant wishbone.
ReplyDeleteI had to check out where Almeda Gardens are situated. I had a whale jaw bone too but from Whitby not Gibraltar.
ReplyDeleteHow is that so many Sepia Saturday themers chose whale bone arches? A curious cosmic harmony!
ReplyDeleteI think there is one similar to this overlooking the harbour in Whitby, North Yorkshire. Great old picture.
ReplyDeleteWow, you and Bob had similar pictures this week! I didn't know that about postcards prior to 1902. Thank you for the tip.
ReplyDeleteKathy M.