Cultures & Communities

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.

This long, sharp walrus tusk tip has two whales engraved on its sides. On one side is a sperm whale, with its mouth wide open displaying its characteristic teeth in the lower jaw.
Description
This long, sharp walrus tusk tip has two whales engraved on its sides. On one side is a sperm whale, with its mouth wide open displaying its characteristic teeth in the lower jaw. Beneath it is the inscription: “LONG IS.” The other side has a large baleen or right whale, with the inscription “THo 1854 WILLETS” carved below. Baleen whales lack teeth and filter their food through hundreds of long, thin, flexible baleen plates. Thomas Willets was probably a crewman on an 1854 sealing or whaling voyage out of Long Island, a region in New York known for its whaling industry. In the 19th century, the Willets family was widespread and well known in the New York area.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1854
ID Number
1978.0052.11
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.11
The obverse of this large sperm whale tooth is filled with the etching of a large, unidentified three-masted ship sailing from left to right with all sails flying.
Description
The obverse of this large sperm whale tooth is filled with the etching of a large, unidentified three-masted ship sailing from left to right with all sails flying. Although it has an American flag at the stern, the vessel is unidentified and there are no visible crew on deck handling the sails or rigging.
The reverse is decorated with a dove perched in a small bouquet of flowers over a heart with "1863 Susanna" carved in the middle. A pennant at the top of the tooth is inscribed "SAMUAL WIGGENS". There is no one named Wiggens in the New Bedford Whaling Museum Whaling Crew List Database.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.26
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.26
The sides of this whalebone ditty box are carved from a single piece of whalebone, shaved to make it uniformly thin. The overlapping ends are fastened together with tiny silver alloy rivets, which also fasten the sides to the pine bottom. Unfortunately, the top is missing.
Description
The sides of this whalebone ditty box are carved from a single piece of whalebone, shaved to make it uniformly thin. The overlapping ends are fastened together with tiny silver alloy rivets, which also fasten the sides to the pine bottom. Unfortunately, the top is missing. The outside of the box is engraved and infilled in green pigment with alternating columns and laurel leaves; leafy vines mount the columns. The overlapping ends of the bone strip are carved with two contiguous vases with three-part leaves sprouting from the tops. The craftsmanship and quality of the freehand carving and fastenings are exceptionally fine, and the condition of this box is outstanding.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1978.0052.10
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.10
An oval ribbon marked "U.S.S. PENSACOLA AND CONFEDERATE MANASSAS" on top and "NEW ORLEANS —APRIL 24, 1862" frames an event from the Civil War Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the lower Mississippi River south of New Orleans.
Description
An oval ribbon marked "U.S.S. PENSACOLA AND CONFEDERATE MANASSAS" on top and "NEW ORLEANS —APRIL 24, 1862" frames an event from the Civil War Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the lower Mississippi River south of New Orleans. In the skirmish, the earliest Confederate ironclad warship Manassas tried to ram the propeller steamship USS Pensacola, but the larger steamship was able to turn and rake the ironclad with the broadside depicted here. Manassas survived the barrage, taking more hits from a Union line or warships, and ramming a couple as it tried to escape. It finally ran aground, was set on fire and exploded, sinking immediately. This battle led to the Confederate loss of New Orleans a few days later, which hastened the end of the Civil War.
The reverse of the tooth is etched with a scene of two seamen in a naval gun turret behind a pair of Dahlgren guns: big, heavy cast iron naval cannon developed during the Civil War. The source of this image is an 1862 engraving of the USS Passaic in the news magazine Harper's Weekly, but Pensacola also had Dahlgrens. In cursive below is engraved "The Dahlgren Guns".
Although the unidentified artist of this tooth copied his subjects from contemporary images, he drew freehand instead of using the pinprick method of scrimshaw, indicating a high level of skill.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th - 20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.38
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.38
Some purists say that powder horns cannot be scrimshaw in the strictest definition of the term as whaling ivory, but this little piece blurs the distinction on account of its nautical imagery.On the outer surface a brig is engraved, with a small gaff-rigged cutter running before
Description
Some purists say that powder horns cannot be scrimshaw in the strictest definition of the term as whaling ivory, but this little piece blurs the distinction on account of its nautical imagery.
On the outer surface a brig is engraved, with a small gaff-rigged cutter running before it. The cutter has an unusual, old-fashioned heeltapper hull, with a raised quarterdeck and a low waist. Each vessel has a human-headed sea serpent in the water next to it. Above the brig on the right is a winged horse with feathers or scales on its lower body; its tail and tongue end in arrow points. Above and behind the brig on the left is a crowned two-headed winged creature with a body shaped like a plump manatee; its tail ends in a ragged line. Across from its crown the piece is dated “MAY•12•1808”. A floral vine completes the remarkable freehand carving. A painted wooden base is tacked to the wide end as a bottom; any cap that may have topped the 3-3/4-in. high piece is missing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1808-05-12
ID Number
1978.0052.01
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.1
Only the top of one side of this tooth has been smoothed and polished; the remainder is rough and ridged as it came out of the sperm whale’s jaw. The smoothed portion has a deeply engraved head and shoulder bust of a young Abraham Lincoln.
Description
Only the top of one side of this tooth has been smoothed and polished; the remainder is rough and ridged as it came out of the sperm whale’s jaw. The smoothed portion has a deeply engraved head and shoulder bust of a young Abraham Lincoln. The portrait is framed by a rope, which forms the handle for a fasces, or axe bound with sticks. This was a Roman symbol of authority and a common American symbol of federalism. The portrait is inscribed “A.LINCOLN” on the bottom left side of the portrait. The shading and depth of the engraving, together with the absence of any pin holes indicate the hand of an experienced scrimshander.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1978.0052.20
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.20
This finely-engraved sperm whale tooth celebrates the port of Salem, MA in the mid-19th century. On the front is a full-rigged three-masted ship sailing in a heavy sea; a large cloud dominates the scene.
Description
This finely-engraved sperm whale tooth celebrates the port of Salem, MA in the mid-19th century. On the front is a full-rigged three-masted ship sailing in a heavy sea; a large cloud dominates the scene. Below is a banner bearing the inscription "WITCH OF THE WAVE/The Pride of Salem". The back of the tooth is covered with an isometric view of Derby Wharf in Salem, Massachusetts, with two ships tied up at the wharf and a third approaching from the right.
Elias Hasket Derby (1739-1799) of Salem, MA was America's first millionaire, and his family's wharf dominated Salem's waterfront for generations. Salem was the largest and most important New England port in the United States until the War of 1812, when Boston took over that honor.
Measuring 220 feet long by 40 feet in beam and 1,498 tons, Witch of the Wave was an extreme clipper ship built in 1851 for the California Gold Rush and the China tea trade. On its first voyage from China to London, Witch transported 19,000 chests of the finest teas for sale. In the mid-1850s, Witch so impressed the Batavia merchants in that port that it was purchased by Dutch merchants. It sailed out of Amsterdam until 1871, when it dropped out of the record.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect the dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create intricate, fine-lined carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or it could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.15
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.15
The obverse of this large sperm whale tooth is carved with the image of a strange warship of unknown type, as though the scrimshaw artist had never seen a real vessel in the water but was perhaps using an illustration for inspiration.The vessel sits deep in the water, but the top
Description
The obverse of this large sperm whale tooth is carved with the image of a strange warship of unknown type, as though the scrimshaw artist had never seen a real vessel in the water but was perhaps using an illustration for inspiration.
The vessel sits deep in the water, but the top of the rudder is showing. Nine gunports adorn the starboard (right) side of the vessel, but the ports are compressed into horizontal slits close to the waterline, where they would have flooded in even moderate seas. The sails are all rigged but have deep cutouts along the bottom edges, and all the rigging lines are slack. Each of the three masts has a fighting top, and each mast is capped with a long, fluttering pennant reminiscent of a medieval jousting tournament. The ship is framed with a rope motif and beneath is the name "Eliza 1863" in an ornate beribboned panel.
The reverse is decorated more conventionally, with an eagle with spread wings atop a shield containing stars and stripes. A ribbon below proclaims "United States of America" and a pennant above the eagle says "Mighty Eagle". Around the top of the tooth is written "NEW LONDON".
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.14
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.14
A large three-masted oceangoing Chinese junk is etched on the front of this sperm whale tooth, complete with elaborate stern carvings of dragons and floral motifs.
Description
A large three-masted oceangoing Chinese junk is etched on the front of this sperm whale tooth, complete with elaborate stern carvings of dragons and floral motifs. Along the stern is written vertically in cursive "this here boat is a chinese junk, such as seen in chinese seas 1847." The other side is decorated with a cameo bust portrait of a neatly dressed man with a well-tended beard; in cursive he is identified as "Capt. Josiah Ellison." The oval portrait is framed with a leafy vine. The carving and writing are freehand, indicating an experienced artist, but the degree of detail in the ship and captain's portraits indicates that the artist worked from illustrations for his images rather than memory.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or it could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
1978.0052.23
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.23
Parallel rules were part of a mariner’s basic navigational tool kit, along with dividers and a compass.
Description
Parallel rules were part of a mariner’s basic navigational tool kit, along with dividers and a compass. This device was used for finding a ship’s bearing (compass direction), plotting a course and then transferring it to different sections of a ship’s navigational chart for wayfinding purposes. This pair is made of thin slices of ivory resembling piano keys in size and thickness. The metal hinge pieces are machined and turned.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.09
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.9
This elegant little three-draw spyglass or pocket telescope is made of brass, with a central hollow handle of whale ivory. The handle is divided by ruled lines, which have the engraved inscription "MADE FOR/DEAREST/REBECCA/FROM SAMUEL/SEPT. 1867/LOOK YE OUT TO SEA/FOR ME.
Description
This elegant little three-draw spyglass or pocket telescope is made of brass, with a central hollow handle of whale ivory. The handle is divided by ruled lines, which have the engraved inscription "MADE FOR/DEAREST/REBECCA/FROM SAMUEL/SEPT. 1867/LOOK YE OUT TO SEA/FOR ME. FROM ATOP/THE WALK YE SEE/TOPSAILS COME AHOME/TO THEE."
The poetic sentiment is offset from the rest of the inscription by horizontal lines of rope and vines. Some houses in the town of Nantucket, MA and other New England seaports had little porches with railings built above their roofs. Wives and sweethearts would climb the stairs to these high perches, known as "widow's walks", to look out to sea for their husbands and sweethearts coming home from long sea voyages. The topsails, or sails at the very top of the masts, would be the first things the women could see from these high vantage points. This spyglass has a mounting pin that could be set in a railing to steady it.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1978.0052.07
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.7
One of the most important sea battles of the War of 1812 was the engagement between the USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere on 19 August 1812 off the New England coast.
Description
One of the most important sea battles of the War of 1812 was the engagement between the USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere on 19 August 1812 off the New England coast. Constitution won the battle decisively, damaging Guerriere so badly that it was set on fire and sunk rather than towed home for a prize. Constitution had more and bigger guns, and its hull was thicker; when one of Guerriere's cannon balls bounced off Constitution's hull, the American frigate was nicknamed "Old Ironsides." Although the United States Navy was much smaller and less experienced, this battle proved it could hold its own against the world's largest and strongest sea power.
The etching on the obverse of this sperm whale tooth depicts Constitution firing a broadside into Guerriere, knocking down its mizzenmast. An oval frame inscribed on the bottom "USS Constitution and Guerriere " encircles the scene. The reverse of the tooth has busts of the British commander Captain James Richard Dacres and American Captain Isaac Hull beneath crossed flags of their two nations. Between the two ship captains is the slogan "Free Trade and Sailors Rights," which was an American motto for the War of 1812. Specific decorative elements in common indicate that this tooth was carved by the same anonymous artist as the Kearsarge vs. Alabama tooth (Cat. 1978.0052.36).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.18
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.18
Carved from the teeth of captured sperm whales, whale stamps were used to record the type of whale and number of barrels of oil they yielded.The stamps were inked onto the page of whaleship logbooks or sailors’ journals, with an empty space in the whale’s body for writing in the
Description
Carved from the teeth of captured sperm whales, whale stamps were used to record the type of whale and number of barrels of oil they yielded.
The stamps were inked onto the page of whaleship logbooks or sailors’ journals, with an empty space in the whale’s body for writing in the number of barrels. This example in the form of a sperm whale is decorated with steel pin heads and a turned handle.
date made
1800s
ID Number
1978.0052.06
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.6
Part of the navigator’s tool kit, parallel rules were used to transfer compass points, course lines and other directional information across large charts without change. This large wooden set has a carved ivory whale inlaid into its surface, with a brass tack for the whale’s eye.
Description
Part of the navigator’s tool kit, parallel rules were used to transfer compass points, course lines and other directional information across large charts without change. This large wooden set has a carved ivory whale inlaid into its surface, with a brass tack for the whale’s eye.
ID Number
1978.0052.08
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.31
The entire surface of this small sperm whale tooth is highly polished, but only one side is carved. A couple stands under a leafy vine, and the vine motif is echoed on the hem of the woman's floor length dress.
Description
The entire surface of this small sperm whale tooth is highly polished, but only one side is carved. A couple stands under a leafy vine, and the vine motif is echoed on the hem of the woman's floor length dress. The front of her dress has an apron design, and she wears a kerchief at her neck and a small flat-brimmed hat perched on her head. She holds hands with a man wearing a waist-length cape over his shoulders, speckled chaps or trousers with slash pockets and pointed shoes or boots. He is also wearing a button-down shirt with vertical stripes and a large flat-brimmed hat, almost providing the effect of a western cowboy style outfit.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1978.0052.12
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.12
One side of this tooth depicts a sailor with his legs spread wide for balance. In his right hand he holds a sword; in his left hand is a British flag on a short pole. A wide brimmed hat is on his head and a kerchief circles his neck.
Description
One side of this tooth depicts a sailor with his legs spread wide for balance. In his right hand he holds a sword; in his left hand is a British flag on a short pole. A wide brimmed hat is on his head and a kerchief circles his neck. Below are engraved the initials “R.D.” On the other side, a three-masted sailing ship clips along under a heavy wind. Its flag and pennant are too small to identify; ten gun ports are visible along the port side. These do not necessarily indicate a warship, however; many merchant vessels had gun ports painted along their hulls to look like warships from a distance. This would keep away pirates or enemies. The engraving is shallow and faint on this tooth, and any black pigment that might have been wiped into the lines for contrast has not lasted.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1978.0052.34
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.34
Generally carved from sperm whales teeth, whale stamps were used in whaleships’ official logbooks to record the type of whales captured on any given day, and the number of barrels of oil the whales yielded once its blubber or fat was boiled down into liquid.This whale stamp appea
Description
Generally carved from sperm whales teeth, whale stamps were used in whaleships’ official logbooks to record the type of whales captured on any given day, and the number of barrels of oil the whales yielded once its blubber or fat was boiled down into liquid.
This whale stamp appears to be made of two pieces of ivory. It has a “P” pinpricked into its top, and below are two parallel rings of pin pricks. Below is pricked the word “SPERM”, below which the whale ship’s name “PROGRESS” is pinpricked. On the opposite side of the round stamp are the letters “N.B.”; probably the carver’s initials. On the bottom is a long whale’s body with a hole in the middle to write the number of barrels of oil obtained from each whale recorded.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1980.0260.01
accession number
1980.0260
catalog number
80.0260.01
1980.0260.01
Generally carved from sperm whales teeth, whale stamps were used in whaleships’ official logbooks to record the type of whales captured on any given day, and the number of barrels of oil the whale yielded once its blubber or fat was boiled down into liquid.This example has an “S”
Description
Generally carved from sperm whales teeth, whale stamps were used in whaleships’ official logbooks to record the type of whales captured on any given day, and the number of barrels of oil the whale yielded once its blubber or fat was boiled down into liquid.
This example has an “S” carved on its top; around the bottom the whale ship’s name “Splendid” is engraved. Below, the initials “H.B.” and fraction “1/2” are carved. On the bottom is a schematized whale in profile, with a hole in the middle of the stamp to write the number of barrels of oil it gave up.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
1980.0260.02
accession number
1980.0260
catalog number
80.0260.02
1980.0260.02

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