Whalebone Ruler
- Description
- “Straight edges” or rulers were used aboard ships as writing guides on the unlined pages of letters, journals and logbooks. The back side of this long stick is marked in 2-1/4, 4-1/2 and 9-inch sections, indicating another usage, probably by the ship’s cooper to measure the level of liquid (water, wine, beer or whale oil) in his wooden casks.
- Object Name
- scrimshaw
- scrimshaw yardstick
- date made
- 1800s
- collected
- 1960-07-26
- Physical Description
- bone (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 34 1/4 in; 86.995 cm
- ID Number
- TR*61.49
- catalog number
- TR*61.49
- accession number
- 231930
- subject
- Transportation
- Natural Resources
- Work
- Cultures & Communities
- Industry & Manufacturing
- Art
- On the Water exhibit
- event
- Expansion and Reform
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Maritime
- On the Water exhibit
- Exhibition
- On the Water
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
- Credit Line
- Gift of Avis and Rockwell Gardiner
- Publication title
- On the Water online exhibition
- Publication URL
- http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
- Additional Media
-
Visitor Comments