{"id":2604,"date":"2026-07-23T09:38:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.histoiredebal.com\/?p=2604"},"modified":"2026-07-07T15:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T14:00:20","slug":"le-grand-bal-des-baleines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.histoiredebal.com\/en\/2026\/07\/23\/le-grand-bal-des-baleines\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Whales ball"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today we speak fossil energy, whales and dance. Yes, we will! As today is the Earth Overshoot Day 2026, it seemed appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this post, I\u2019m kicking off a series of shorter articles. As they\u2019re quicker to write, they\u2019ll appear more regularly than the in-depth pieces I usually treat you to. I\u2019m doing my best to adapt to the upheavals in my personal life \u2013 I hope you\u2019ll enjoy them!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Caricature
“GRAND BALL GIVEN BY THE WHALES in honor of the discovery of the Oil Wells in Pennsylvania.”
in Vanity Faire<\/em>, Apr 20, 1861.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That cartoon show a ball… of whales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Context: the whales and the oil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1859, Edwin Drake<\/a> managed to drill earth to extract oil, in Titusville, PA. It was a revolution: until then, people had simply mopped up the oil that seeped to the surface. Oil production rose from 2,000 barrels a day in 1859 to over 500,000 in 1865.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This massive production led to a decline in the use of whale oil for lighting. Here, the artist imagines the joy of the whales, which would no longer (or at least, less intensely) be hunted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The drawing shows us whales, standing up, wearing elegant clothes, and partying hard. Banners hanging from the ceiling proudly proclaim:<\/p>\n\n\n\n