Whalers

J. M. W. Turner

1845 · Oil on canvas · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Whalers

Approach to Venice

Dido Building Carthage

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851)
Year: 1845
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 91.8 × 122.6 cm
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Movement: Romanticism

A sperm whale thrashes in a welter of foam and blood as whaleboats close in and a three-masted whaling ship looms like a ghost behind them. Turner was seventy when the picture debuted at the Royal Academy in 1845, one of two paintings called Whalers he showed that year; the other is now at Tate Britain. Reviews were mixed. Thackeray joked that what looked like a smear of purple was in fact a whale, and a few zigzag lines a ship under full sail. Turner seems to have painted it in the hope that Elhanan Bicknell, a collector who had made his fortune in whale oil, would buy it, but it was returned to him. It entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1896 and was the centrepiece of the museum's exhibition of Turner's whaling pictures in 2016.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A whale thrashing in foam and a ghost ship behind, near-abstract in a smear of purple and white, for a study, den or coastal hallway at 16×24 or 24×36 in black. A white, pale grey or navy wall; it suits spare, modern rooms.

Style: Exhibition poster of a Romanticism painting
Era: 19th century (1845)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: dramatic, moody
Rooms: living room, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Whalers in the public domain?

Yes. J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Whalers painted, and in what medium?

Whalers dates from 1845 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 91.8 × 122.6 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of J. M. W. Turner's Whalers — Whalers — a whaling ship in a haze of spray and sunlight as the hunt unfolds in the swell — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Light, Storm and Sea: The English Romantic, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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