Photo: Relics of Greenland’s oily past

In the mid-1900s Greenland communities were known for manufacturing train oil, a product sold by the Denmark company KGH for use in lighting, soap and lubricating oils. The product—taken from the skin of whales, walruses and seals by using vats, presses and tubs like these—fell out of use in the early 1960s when vegetable oil became more common. (PHOTO BY BETH BROWN)