Summary
Exhibition label for the Sperm Whale display at Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, circa 1990.
Title label part 1 - Rectangular label, one sided with white printed on black plastic sheet mounted on cardboard. Large font with small latin name at bottom left corner.
Information part 2 - Rectangular label, one sided with black printed on white plastic sheet mounted on cardboard. Large font with small latin name at bottom left corner.
Physical Description
Pair of labels - One black with white writing and, one white with black writing. Title label part 1 - Rectangular label, single-sided with white printed on black plastic sheet mounted on cardboard. Large font with small Latin name at bottom left corner. Information part 2 - Rectangular label, single-sided with black printed on white plastic sheet mounted on cardboard. Large font with small Latin name at bottom left corner.
Significance
The labels in the Historic Exhibition Labels Collection illustrate the changing styles in didactic interpretation, aesthetics and approaches to audience engagement throughout the history of Museums Victoria. From the earliest days of the National Museum of Victoria in the mid 1800s through the various incarnations of the Applied Sciences collection through to the amalgamation of all the branches into Museums Victoria, the labels chart a course through the changes in audience needs and desires in Victoria and across the museums' various sites. There are beautiful examples of hand written nineteenth century labels, some examples of extremely long didactic panels from the early twentieth century, and rare and unusual fonts in the mid twentieth century. The collection also illustrates the transition from hand-written labels to the use of typewriters, then lettera set and ultimately printed labels, culminating in the large format digital print room being introduced at Melbourne Museum in 2000.
More Information
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Collecting Areas
Museum History, Information & Communication, Public Life & Institutions
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Creator
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Inscriptions
Sperm Whale / Physeter macrocephalus / The Sperm Whale is the largest of the toothed whales, reaching a length of 18 / metres. It occurs in all oceans, and is a remarkable diver, feeding on squid and / cuttlefish to depth of 2,200 metres. / The head of the species contains nearly a tonne of waxy oil or spermaceti, / which has been utilised as a lubricant, for making candles, and for medicines. / The Sperm Whale has also been hunted for its / blubber, as well as for its ambergris (a waxy material from the intestines) which was formerly used in / perfume production. / Sperm Whales do not frequent coastal waters in general, but at times they are / known to strand in herds. / Status: Insufficiently known / The skeleton in display is from a whale collected at Gunnamatta Beach, Victoria in February, 1972 (one of 37 stranded animals). / Cat. No. C15961
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Object Dimensions
239 mm (Width), 2 mm (Depth), 209 mm (Height)
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Keywords
Exhibitions, Mammals, Museum Display Panels, Museum Exhibitions, Museums