Cultures & Communities - Overview
Furniture, cooking wares, clothing, works of art, and many other kinds of artifacts are part of what knit people into communities and cultures. The Museum’s collections feature artifacts from European Americans, Latinos, Arab Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, African Americans, Gypsies, Jews, and Christians, both Catholics and Protestants. The objects range from ceramic face jugs made by enslaved African Americans in South Carolina to graduation robes and wedding gowns. The holdings also include artifacts associated with education, such as teaching equipment, textbooks, and two complete schoolrooms. Uniforms, insignia, and other objects represent a wide variety of civic and voluntary organizations, including youth and fraternal groups, scouting, police forces, and firefighters.
"Cultures & Communities - Overview" showing 22 items.
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Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century
- Description
- The pictures carved on whales’ teeth by scrimshaw artists commonly fall into a group of simple categories, like ships, whales, patriotic scenes, women, shorelines, and the like. Sometimes a tooth’s carving will tell a simple story about danger, loneliness, love or war. Other times, the tale that a tooth tells is lost in time, perhaps forever. This little tooth may be one of the latter. On the top of one side are two outlined flags: on the left is an American flag, and on the right is a flag with a large “M” on it. Both are waving in the wind. Below are the words “OUR COMPROMISE” in two lines. At the bottom is a small cannon on a truck, or carriage. The truck construction indicates that it is a land weapon rather than a ship armament. The depth of the gun etching is much deeper than the flags, perhaps indicating a different artist. Although it is polished and prepared for carving, the other side of the tooth is not decorated. The lack of a date or any other identifying factors makes it almost impossible to decipher the artist’s message to us from an earlier time. Was it a private message to a friend or lover, a political statement, a military event.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1978.0052.39
- accession number
- 1978.0052
- catalog number
- 1978.52.39
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraved Porpoise Tooth, mid-19th century
- Description
- The short length and slender proportions of this carved tooth indicate that it came from the mouth of a porpoise rather than a sperm whale. Its rough, dark and mottled surface was badly prepared for the craftsman’s sharpened tool, rendering the details of the carving difficult to see clearly.
- The obverse depicts a man standing inside a circular rope motif; his costume is reminiscent of a Near Eastern or Asian warrior, with padded pants and low hanging blouse and hair in a bun. The surface of the tooth above the figure has horizontal striations, almost like a metal file was applied. On the reverse is another man surrounded by an oval rope motif; he wears a more traditional Western waistcoat and holds a cane in his right hand. Atop his head is a tightly-wrapped turban.
- The pinprick method for preparing the line infill is evident, suggesting that the original drawings from which these were derived was in a periodical of the period. Perhaps one day the source for these enigmatic figures will be identified.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL*388606
- catalog number
- 388606
- accession number
- 182022
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century
- Description
- Shoreside scenes were popular subjects for scrimshaw artists, lonely for their homes, families and friends. On one side of this tooth, two large merchant ships clear harbor, possibly embarking on long whaling voyages. To the right, a local coastal schooner sails around the point of land separating a town from the sea. Its simple rig would have been very old-fashioned by the mid-nineteenth century or later, when this piece was probably carved. The other side appears to derive from a print, for the engraving is much deeper and more shaded. Two warships sail to the left. The one on the right is flying an American flag. The flag on the stern of the left-hand ship—and the bow of the American vessel—are obscured by an immense explosion between the two fighting ships. Unfortunately, neither ship is identified, although such sea battle images between American frigates and English warships were popular subjects beginning around the time of the War of 1812.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL*65.1129
- catalog number
- 65.1129
- accession number
- 256396
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century
- Description
- Danger was never far away for the crew of a whale ship out in the middle of the ocean. One side of this large tooth is engraved with a ship in the middle of a storm. The waves are high, and most of the ship’s sails have been taken in. Many of the sails that are left out are tattered and torn, and the rigging lines are slack, indicating strong winds.
- The other side of the tooth has a whale on the surface of the ocean with two harpoons sticking out of its back. It has just knocked a whaleboat out of the water and into the air, breaking it in half. Two hapless crew are about to land in the water to swim or drown. In the distant background sails the mother ship, too far away to rescue the whaleboat’s crew.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL*65.1130
- catalog number
- 65.1130
- accession number
- 256396
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth
- Description
- This carved sperm whale tooth is only engraved on one side, but it has an unusual subject. Instead of the more common full-rigged sailing ship, this tooth depicts a steamboat in profile moving from left to right. Below the vessel is engraved the legend “STEAMER RIGHT ARM”, which identifies the vessel as the wrecking tugboat RIGHT ARM. Measuring 135 ft. in length by 26.5 ft. beam (width), the ship was purpose built in New England in the early 1890s as a wrecker, or salvage vessel. These uncommon vessels helped to refloat grounded or stranded ships, or recovered useful parts from a ship that was wrecked. The forward deckhouse contained a powerful steam windlass and several tons of 2-in. chain, and the pumps were so strong that the ship could pump coal--as well as water--from damaged ships. The RIGHT ARM had the capability to support divers as well, with dive gear, air compressors and special equipment.
- The RIGHT ARM is best known as the salvage ship for the infamous wreck of the American warship USS MAINE in Havana harbor, Cuba, an early event in the Spanish-American War. The RIGHT ARM recovered some of the MAINE’s artillery; the ship’s safe containing ca. $25,000; valuable chalices from the chaplain’s stateroom, and sailors’ bodies from the colossal explosion on 15 February 1898 that sank the warship.
- Although this tooth was not carved by a whaler during the classical Age of Sail, it still represents the latter-day art of scrimshaw through its style, material and treatment.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL*65.1135
- catalog number
- 65.1135
- accession number
- 256396
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth
- Description
- A 20-gun American sailing warship covers the upper portion of one side of this intricately detailed scrimshaw sperm whale tooth. Nearly every sail is set; flags are flying; and every gun port is open with its gun out and ready for action. Unusually, the flying flags and pennants are polychrome, with red stripes.
- Below are two smaller ships in their own etched checkerboard frames, sailing towards each other on a collision course. Normally these would represent different views of the larger ship above, but both of these sailing ships are merchant vessels, without any guns. The vessel on the right is spewing smoke out of a midship smoke stack, and may be either an auxiliary steamer or a whaleship trying out a whale. In trying out, a whale’s outer layer of body fat or “blubber” was cut into small pieces and tossed into a hot cauldron to render it down into liquid.
- The other side of the tooth is carved with a hillside town, with several levels of buildings dominated by a large cathedral with a tall steeple reaching up into the sky. The steeple also has red accents. On the lowest level along the waterfront are two arches; a “D” is carved into one, and a shallow “S” was carved into the other. However, the “S” was scratched out and not in-filled with black pigment to make it stand out, like the rest of the tooth’s carving. Below in the harbor are two small but detailed sailing ships without sails, probably at anchor. The one on the right has a smoking stack similar to the vessel on the other side of the tooth, but much of that ship is gone because the base of the tooth is broken and missing.
- Although the style of the carving on this tooth is relatively simple, it was made by an experienced schrimshander, as shown by the amount of detail, the depth of the etching and the infilling.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL*374484
- catalog number
- 374484
- accession number
- 136263
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s ToothScrimshaw Domestic Scene on Sperm Whale’s Tooth, 19th Century
- Description
- The crews of whale ships had more leisure time than other sailors, since their voyages could last up to four years in length. They also had larger crews than other types of ships, due to the nature of their work. During long hours on watch or lonely hours off duty, many sailors’ thoughts naturally turned to home. This sperm whale tooth is elaborately carved with a domestic scene from a wealthy home. An oriental carpet covers the floor, on which a well-dressed young couple sits on either side of an elaborately-carved table. The portrait of domestic bliss is completed by a small boy at his mother’s side with his hand across her lap. An ornately decorated column holds up rich drapes of exotic fabrics, and the whole tranquil and idealized image is surrounded by a floral frame like a painted picture on the wall. Not many sailors left such a scene behind when they went to sea nor had such a wealthy home scene to return to after a long voyage.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL*374488
- catalog number
- 374488
- accession number
- 136263
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth
- Description
- The obverse, or main side of this tooth is dominated by an etching of an American merchant sailing ship under sail from right to left. Below the water is an exergue or separate scene of three women. In the center is the bust of a woman in an arch; the two outside women are holding up flowers in one hand and pointing at the woman in the center with the other hand, as if they were on stage congratulating her after a performance.
- On the reverse is a patriotic scene of a woman standing in front of an anchor. In her right hand she holds a flagpole topped with a 19-star American flag; her left forefinger is held up, apparently to indicate “#1.” To her left is a house with a smoking chimney; on her right are a flowering plant, a palm tree and a steeple.
- The American flags, the flowers and other details are highlighted in red for a polychrome effect. With the women, ship and patriotic symbolism, the scrimshaw artist of this piece has managed to include all of the common sailor’s favorite themes.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL*374493
- catalog number
- 374493
- accession number
- 136263
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Practice Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century
- Description
- This two-sided carved whale’s tooth is a rare and unusual practice piece by an accomplished scrimshaw artist. Instead of a finished tooth with fully developed scenes, the artist used the smooth sides of a polished tooth to try out several unrelated subjects in different scales, much like a painter’s sketchbook might show preliminary details in advance of a larger composition. On one side is a revolver, below which are the initials “F.B.” and an open pocket watch and chain. Under that is a fish in profile, above an intricate shoreside scene that wraps around to the other side of the tooth. A well-dressed man in a 19th century wheelchair is on the edge. On the other side are two machines, one of which is a steam cart on wheels. An unfinished lady’s dress is on the bottom, and in the middle of this side are the words “CEDAR CAMPHOR”.
- The tooth very clearly demonstrates the pinprick technique used by scrimshanders to engrave their subjects. With this method, artists cut an engraving out of a magazine and pasted it onto a smooth whale’s tooth. Then they pushed a sharp pin through the engraving’s lines, after which the paper was washed off. The scrimshander then connected the dots and rubbed pigment(usually lamp soot) into the engraved lines to make them stand out.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL*374505
- catalog number
- 374505
- accession number
- 136263
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth
- Description
- On the main side of this carved tooth is a generic American sailing ship without any of the conventional attributes of whaling, merchant or naval vessels. It has only a large American flag at the stern to set it apart.
- What makes this tooth unusual is the carving on the reverse side. It is a picture of a medieval archer, complete with quiver, arrows, sword and shield. An American flag completes the ensemble, and the archer is capped with a little hat with a feather off to one side. This is almost certainly derived from an image in a contemporary magazine, perhaps of a costumed archer from some sort of a public performance (opera, play, musical group). On long whaling voyages, magazines and newspapers were prized commodities, and whalemen often cut out the pictures, pasted them on polished whale’s teeth and pinpricked through the image to derive an outline for further carving. The pinpricks on this image clearly outline the major details and in this way, even a sailor who couldn’t draw freehand could produce a fine carving on a sperm whale’s tooth.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1875-1899
- ID Number
- DL*65.1132
- catalog number
- 65.1132
- accession number
- 256396
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center