“Where ladies are so scarce we have to muster in full”: Sophie Porter’s Account of Over–Wintering at Herschel Island, 1894-1895
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25071/2561-5467.1044Keywords:
Herschel Island, Arctic whaling, whaling community, gender roles, class, personal accountAbstract
Sophie E. Porter’s account offers colourful insights into the life of the whaling community over–wintering at Herschel Island (Qikiqtaruk) in the mid–1890s. Porter lived on board the whaling ship Jesse H. Freeman in the winterized quarters prepared for her husband, but her full social schedule meant that the ship did not keep her captive. The excerpts transcribed, reproduced, and introduced in this commentary span the period from 19 August 1894 (when Jessie H. Freeman dropped anchor off the sand spit at Herschel) to Victoria Day (24 May) 1895. Porter’s account offers rare insights into how women and other members of the diverse Herschel Island community negotiated gender, race, and class positions and coped with life in this remote Arctic outpost.
Le récit de Sophie E. Porter offre un aperçu imagé de la vie de la communauté baleinière qui a passé l’hiver à l’île Herschel (Qikiqtaruk) au milieu des années 1890. Porter vivait à bord du baleinier Jesse H. Freeman dans les locaux aménagés pour l’hiver préparés pour son mari, mais son calendrier d’activités sociales était chargé même si elle était à bord d’un navire. Les extraits transcrits, reproduits et présentés dans cet exposé couvrent la période du 19 août 1894 (lorsque le Jessie H. Freeman a jeté l’ancre près de la flèche de sable à l’île Herschel) à la fête de la Reine du 24 mai 1895. Le récit de Porter offre un regard unique sur la façon dont les femmes et les autres membres de la communauté hétérogène de l’île Herschel déterminaient leurs positions de genre, de race et de classe et faisaient face aux difficultés de la vie dans cet avant–poste isolé de l’Arctique.
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