Larsen’s whaling gamble paid off. From 1906, chemical breakthroughs in hydrogenation, a process that turns liquid fats into solids, meant that the higher grades of whale oil could now be used to produce margarine and soap. Whale oil was traditionally used for low-level heating and lighting but this new multi-purpose raw material re-centred whale oil as a product of the modern world.
Larsen’s model was soon copied by several other companies. South Georgia became permanently settled by hundreds of whalers who were regularly supplied from Buenos Aires and Norway.
During his time as the first manager of the Grytviken whaling station, Larsen made South Georgia his home. He brought his family down from Norway and established a whaling dynasty. Larsen created a town, complete with a church, library and shop marking a significant turning point in human engagement with the Antarctic at the beginning of the 19th Century.