Whales were hunted primarily for their oil. Sperm whales were an especially valuable catch because their head cavities held a white spermaceti oil that could be used to make high-quality candles. These burned with a bright light and gave off no odour. Price’s, who made these candles, now held in the Whanganui Museum, were a leading manufacturer of candles in Victorian England.
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Permission of the Whanganui Regional Museum must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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