Transportation

1955 Ford Country Squire

Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.

In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.

Resource Type: Swrimshaws

Scrimshaw Whale Tooth, mid 20th Century

This massive sperm whale tooth is deeply engraved on one side with an elaborately detailed scene of the ‘cutting in’ process on the port or left side of the whaleship John R. Manta.
Description
This massive sperm whale tooth is deeply engraved on one side with an elaborately detailed scene of the ‘cutting in’ process on the port or left side of the whaleship John R. Manta. The carving commemorates the last whaling voyage on a sailing ship out of New Bedford, MA in 1925; the schooner returned to its home port New Bedford with only 300 barrels of sperm oil. This tooth belonged to a writer who accompanied the Manta on this last voyage; his daughter donated it to the Smithsonian in 1976. It was carved by an artist with the initials “W.P.”; since none of the ship’s crew or officers had these initials, the tooth likely was carved after the voyage.
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 20th century
ID Number
1980.0620.01
accession number
1980.0620
catalog number
1980.620.1

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

This long, slender sperm whale tooth has a highly polished surface on all sides. However, only a single image is found on the top of its obverse, leaving nearly the entire tooth undecorated.Atop a footed stand rests a large bird, with its talons tightly gripping a round perch.
Description
This long, slender sperm whale tooth has a highly polished surface on all sides. However, only a single image is found on the top of its obverse, leaving nearly the entire tooth undecorated.
Atop a footed stand rests a large bird, with its talons tightly gripping a round perch. Its hooked beak identifies it as a raptor—probably a hawk. The drawing lacks any pinholes, indicating it is a freehand composition and the engraved lines are infilled with black pigment.
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
1978.0052.17
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.17

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

Patriotic subjects were very popular with scrimshaw artists. General George Washington is the main subject engraved on this sperm whale tooth. He is depicted in military uniform leaning against a large rock, with a sentry guarding a tent camp in the background.
Description
Patriotic subjects were very popular with scrimshaw artists. General George Washington is the main subject engraved on this sperm whale tooth. He is depicted in military uniform leaning against a large rock, with a sentry guarding a tent camp in the background. Overhead is an emblematic eagle crest with spread wings, complete with striped shield and a banner fluttering in his mouth. His left talon holds a bunch of arrows and the right holds olive branches. Oddly, the Washington scene lacks a single pinhole, indicating a freehand sketch by a confident artist. However, the crest above has very dense pinpricking throughout the composition, suggesting that a different, less experienced artist probably needed an illustration to guide his design. The reverse side is polished but undecorated.
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
DL.024889
catalog number
024889
accession number
4362

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 1853

The obverse of this large, highly polished sperm whale tooth has a large whaleship carved into its surface, sailing away from the viewer with all sails set. Two empty whaleboat davits on the starboard or right side indicate that the boats are actively hunting.
Description
The obverse of this large, highly polished sperm whale tooth has a large whaleship carved into its surface, sailing away from the viewer with all sails set. Two empty whaleboat davits on the starboard or right side indicate that the boats are actively hunting. An etched sawtooth frame encircles the ship. The other side is carved with an eagle with outstretched wings; in one talon it grips three arrows and in the other is a leafy vine. In its beak is a long banner containing the words (from top to bottom) "ABRAHAM CARR/1853/SAG HARBOUR L.I." Like the front, the eagle and banner are framed by a sawtooth pattern, and the entire tooth has a swag top and bottom encircling both sides of the tooth. In the 19th century, Sag Harbor, NY was a major Atlantic whaling port. The fine detail of this freehand-drawn tooth indicates a highly skilled and experienced scrimshaw artist.
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
1853
ID Number
1978.0052.22
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.22

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th-20th Centuries

The obverse of this sperm whale tooth is filled with a freehand etching of a large whaling ship with all sails set moving from right to left. Below is carved the name "JOSH-HEWITT" in a pennant.
Description
The obverse of this sperm whale tooth is filled with a freehand etching of a large whaling ship with all sails set moving from right to left. Below is carved the name "JOSH-HEWITT" in a pennant. On the other side is a set piece of four whaling tools: a harpoon, a boat hook, two head spades and a boat spade, loosely bundled together vertically on their handles by a pennant marked "THE FLORIDA NEW BEDFORD/ SEP 1858 To OCT 1861."
Built at New York in 1821, this whaling ship named Florida (there were others as well) was already very old in the 1850s. Hailing from Fairhaven, MA (not New Bedford, on the other side of the Acushnet River) in 1858, this Florida did undertake a whaling voyage in the North Pacific from September 1858 to October 1861, collecting 750 barrels of sperm oil and 1660 barrels of whale oil. However, there is no one named Hewitt in the New Bedford Whaling Museum Whaling Crew List Database for this ship. The Florida was sold at San Francisco upon its arrival in October 1861, and its oil was shipped back east via another vessel. Florida was finally abandoned in 1871, after a remarkable 50-year career.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.31
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.0052.31

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

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

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 20th Century

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

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th-20th Centuries

Patriotic scenes were among the most popular for amateur scrimshaw artists in the 19th century American whaling fleet. On the front of this sperm whale tooth is a large, intricately detailed eagle with a shield in its midsection marked "USA".
Description
Patriotic scenes were among the most popular for amateur scrimshaw artists in the 19th century American whaling fleet. On the front of this sperm whale tooth is a large, intricately detailed eagle with a shield in its midsection marked "USA". His talons clutch a pennant inscribed "MASSACHUSETTS". Above is flying another pennant marked "BENJ GRAY 1857": likely the scrimshaw artist. The other side of the tooth is carved with a tall, slender urn marked "HOPE" on its lip, out of which large leaves are sprouting. The etching on this tooth is entirely freehand, attesting to a high level of artistic skill.
There are two Ben or Benjamin Grays in the New Bedford Whaling Museum Whaling Crew List Database, but their dates and ships do not match the date or ship on this tooth.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.24
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.0052.24

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th Century

Most scrimshaw images are engraved lines in the surface of a whales’ teeth that are then filled in with lamp black, leaving a one-dimensional effect. Many artists used a pin to pricked through a drawing which lay agianst the tooth.
Description
Most scrimshaw images are engraved lines in the surface of a whales’ teeth that are then filled in with lamp black, leaving a one-dimensional effect. Many artists used a pin to pricked through a drawing which lay agianst the tooth. The lines were then connected in a “fill in the dots” picture. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings.
By contrast, the artist of this eagle was a skilled engraver, who drew his bird freehand and then modeled the surface of the tooth to achieve depth. He also used cross hatching for the same effect. However, the bird may have been drawn from the artist’s memory or imagination, in that the head and body are scrawny, but the feathers are extremely accurate. The wings and talons are oversized, and the talon on the left is sprouting lightning bolts. More commonly on the American eagle, the left talon grasps leaves of peace and the right side talon holds arrows of war.
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.
It 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
ID Number
1978.0052.19
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.19

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 1867

The obverse of this large, flat sperm whale tooth is etched with a large, full-rigged ship with all sails set, driving from left to right towards the viewer. The yards or horizontal spars are deeply pinpricked, but the rest of the ship was carved freehand.
Description
The obverse of this large, flat sperm whale tooth is etched with a large, full-rigged ship with all sails set, driving from left to right towards the viewer. The yards or horizontal spars are deeply pinpricked, but the rest of the ship was carved freehand. The scene has an oval frame with a running vine along its centerline. On the back, an elegant compass rose marked with the four compass directions N, S, E & W is carved, surmounted by a banner with "EMERALD/JOBE HICKS" etched into its surface. Above is the date 1867.
The ship lacks boat davits or any other whaling attributes and the last whaling ship named Emerald completed its final whaling voyage in 1866, so the vessel is identified as a merchant vessel. Jobe Hicks was likely the artist who carved the tooth.
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
ID Number
1978.0052.27
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.27

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century

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.
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

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

The obverse of this small sperm whale tooth has a shallow engraving of a young noblewoman directly gazing at the viewer.
Description
The obverse of this small sperm whale tooth has a shallow engraving of a young noblewoman directly gazing at the viewer. Her fashionable outfit and hairdo are accessorized by an intricate necklace, a brooch at the décolletage of her gown and what appears to be some sort of medal or order (Bath?) on her left breast. Her headband contains crenellated towers and her shoulders are covered with an elegant ermine shawl. On the reverse, a youth in a sailor outfit with a kite in his hand is gesturing to go outside to another youth seated on a bench inside a house. The seated youth has his hand up in a negative gesture. Unfortunately, the story that the artist of this tooth intended to tell is lost in time.
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
DL.374492
catalog number
374492
accession number
136263

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century

One side of this sperm whale tooth is dominated by a Turk’s Cap lily growing out of a striped footed urn. On either side is a single-stem red rose bush in full bloom.
Description
One side of this sperm whale tooth is dominated by a Turk’s Cap lily growing out of a striped footed urn. On either side is a single-stem red rose bush in full bloom. The flowers of both types of plants are infilled with red pigment, now faded; the leaves, stems and urn are in black pigment. The back side of the tooth is polished but undecorated. The presence of a large number of shallow pinpricks throughout the composition on the surface of the tooth indicates that an illustration was pasted on the polished surface and then outlined with a pin.
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
ID Number
DL.374500
catalog number
374500
accession number
136263

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th-20th Century

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

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th Century

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

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 20th Century

On the obverse of this large sperm whale tooth is a big three-masted ship sailing from right to left in a high sea against a hilly shoreline. A light or beacon shines from a tower on the shore behind the ship, which has 12 gunports cut or painted on its port or left side.
Description
On the obverse of this large sperm whale tooth is a big three-masted ship sailing from right to left in a high sea against a hilly shoreline. A light or beacon shines from a tower on the shore behind the ship, which has 12 gunports cut or painted on its port or left side. A sketchy American flag on the mizzenmast identifies the ship’s nationality. The even depth of the carving, uniform shading and overall quality of this freehand composition and infill suggest that it was carved by a land-based artist in the 20th century rather than a 19th century whaleman.
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
20th century
ID Number
DL.65.1131
catalog number
65.1131
accession number
256396

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century

One side of this sperm whale tooth is completely covered by a large bouquet of batchelors’ button flowers on three stems. The leaves and stems are black, but the large flower blossoms are pink.
Description
One side of this sperm whale tooth is completely covered by a large bouquet of batchelors’ button flowers on three stems. The leaves and stems are black, but the large flower blossoms are pink. An open frame between the stems and blooms is inscribed “SOUVENIR.” The heavily pinpricked surface indicates that the artisan pasted an illustration on the surface of the polished tooth and then pushed a pin through to outline the features. The pink color originally may have been a deeper red that has faded with age. The back side of the tooth is polished but undecorated.
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
ID Number
DL.374491
catalog number
374491
accession number
136263

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century

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.
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

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th Century

Only one side of this little sperm whale tooth is carved, and the freehand carving is compressed into only a small area of the available polished surface. The other side is blank.
Description
Only one side of this little sperm whale tooth is carved, and the freehand carving is compressed into only a small area of the available polished surface. The other side is blank. On the left is a classic whaleboat with the standard six crew: four rowers, a boatsteerer at the stern and a harpooner at the bow. All of them are wearing hats. The harpooner holds up a harpoon and is ready to throw the dart into the whale. The scrimshaw artist has cleverly incorporated a crack in the tooth's surface into a line from the boat to the first harpoon, which is sticking out of a whale's back, for what is called a "Nantucket Sleigh Ride". This was slang for when a whale towed a whaleboat until it tired and rose to the water surface.
After the tow or sleigh ride, the whaleboat would row up to the exhausted whale and kill it. It was normal to use two harpoons to fasten to a whale, in case one was lost or twisted out by the whale's movements. The boat, crew and whale are in light black or brown pigment. By contrast, the water surface is pale blue, which is a rare pigment in the art of scrimshaw.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
1978.0052.35
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.35

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

The bottom of this very large sperm whale tooth is broken off. One side has a leopard stalking across the polished surface in a horizontal composition.
Description
The bottom of this very large sperm whale tooth is broken off. One side has a leopard stalking across the polished surface in a horizontal composition. The entire animal is decorated with deeply engraved spots, excepting a few parts, indicating that the scrimshander may not have finished his artwork.
The other side is very faintly engraved with a vertical picture of a shipboard game of chicken. A sailor in traditional outfit of striped pants, blouse, tie and hat with his arms folded across his chest is perched on the shoulders of a monk. The monk is complete with fringed haircut and a large cross around his neck. Another monk is running towards him with outstretched arms, with a sailor on his shoulders. One sailor is throwing some liquid at his opponents from a tall, narrow beaker. Behind the men is a sketchily rigged mast with no sails.
This odd freehand scene may be part of a Neptune ceremony, which was a diversion by crew or passengers of a ship when first crossing the Equator on a long voyage. Anyone who had not before crossed the line might have a visit from King Neptune and engage in hazing or gamesmanship of some sort to break up the monotony of a long sea voyage.
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
DL.374496
catalog number
374496
accession number
136263

Sperm Whale Tooth Prepared for Scrimshaw, 19th Century

This is an example of a whales tooth prepared for the art of scrimshaw. When a tooth is removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale, its surface is rough and discolored, with ridges of varying depth along its lengtht.
Description
This is an example of a whales tooth prepared for the art of scrimshaw. When a tooth is removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale, its surface is rough and discolored, with ridges of varying depth along its lengtht. To prepare the tooth the artist scraped and sanded the surface until it was smooth—sometimes using sharkskin, which was strong and abrasive. A knife blade or other sharp instrument was used to engrave the picture into the tooth.
This blank tooth was shaped into a fine point at its upper end and highly polished, but it was never actually engraved with an image. A clue to the reason may be on the back, where a long crack runs almost the entire length of the tooth. The artist may have caused or noticed this crack late in the polishing process and didn’t want to risk working on a tooth that looked like it might break at any time. There are a few shorter cracks on the front as well; two are at the top of the tooth. The carver probably tried to sand them out, which would explain why the tooth is pointed at the top.
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.
It 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
ID Number
DL.374495
catalog number
374495
accession number
136263

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century

On this tooth, the scrimshaw artist has etched a young, short-haired girl in profile, walking from left to right. She is very well dressed in a flowered dress, pantaloons and high button shoes.
Description
On this tooth, the scrimshaw artist has etched a young, short-haired girl in profile, walking from left to right. She is very well dressed in a flowered dress, pantaloons and high button shoes. In her left hand is a ball and cup game, with the ball high in the air at the end of the string.
This tooth is one of a pair with Cat. 37489, which is the same size and has a very similar subject by the same artist. The daisies on the girl’s dress and patch of ground beneath her feet are identical to the same features on the companion tooth.
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
ID Number
DL.374490
catalog number
374490
accession number
136263

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

This small tooth has four images on it that appear unrelated. On the bottom of the main side is an oceangoing three-masted sidewheel paddle steamship.
Description
This small tooth has four images on it that appear unrelated. On the bottom of the main side is an oceangoing three-masted sidewheel paddle steamship. An American flag flying at the stern identifies its nationality, and the presence of the three masts alongside the steam engine indicates that it predates the 1880s. By that time, steam engines were reliable enough to eliminate the need for auxiliary sail on ocean steamers.
Above the steamer at a different scale is a long, three story building with rectangular windows along the side wing and end on the ground level. On the end are arched and semi-circular windows above the main door, to which a set of stairs ascends. Three long vertical spikes are spaced along the roof that may represent lightning rods. The long roof has three dormers along its length and a tree is visible at the end of the wing. Above the building is a sketchy eagle grasping a schematized shield and arrows in his talons. To the left of the eagle is a crest with stars and stripes. There may be a story linking the four pictures to each other, but it is long lost in time.
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
DL.65.1136
catalog number
65.1136
accession number
256396

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th-20th Century

One side of this freehand engraved sperm whale tooth depicts a three-masted whaleship. All the masts, spars and rigging are carefully detailed, but no sails. Three whaleboats swing on the port side davits ready for deployment.
Description
One side of this freehand engraved sperm whale tooth depicts a three-masted whaleship. All the masts, spars and rigging are carefully detailed, but no sails. Three whaleboats swing on the port side davits ready for deployment. Above is a banner with the ship name Janet and a date of 1856. In 1856, a whaling bark named Janet from Westport, MA was on a very successful whaling voyage in the Indian Ocean, bringing home 249 barrels of whale oil and 4,500 pounds of bone in 1858. Above the banner is an anchor with the initials "E.B."
On the other side is an eagle with spread wings and a laurel branch in its beak. In its talons is a fork-tongued snake. Above the bird is a banner marked "EDWARD BAKER PROVIDENCE", over which is an ornate metal vase containing palm fronds.
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 - 20th century
ID Number
1978.0052.13
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.13

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