Go see the whale at Tolchester

Description

A poster advertising a beach attraction for visitors to walk inside a whale's mouth for a fee. According to an article in the May 30, 1899 issue of the Baltimore American newspaper, a seventy-five ton (species unspecified) whale was captured off the coast of Cape Cod on June 5, 1888. The Egyptian Balm Company in Boston then embalmed the beast for the not-so-small sum of $3,000. When the process was complete, the whale was set to be the star attraction during the opening week of a new season at the Tolchester Beach resort on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Unfortunately, no evidence exists to prove that the whale ever actually arrived at Tolchester or was used as advertised in the poster, but the intent and vision of the event planners is preserved.