Scrimshaw Walrus Tusk, mid-20th Century

Description:

This intricately carved walrus tusk was carved for the tourist trade. It is not traditional scrimshaw, in that it is not whale ivory carved aboard a whaleship in the 19th century. However, it is engraved marine ivory depicting marine hunting activity and marine mammals, so it is included among the arts associated with scrimshaw.

It contains multiple scenes of Lapland daily activities, surrounding a western-style cribbage board. On the obverse, two women are riding in a wooden sleigh drawn by a single reindeer or caribou, with another reindeer tethered behind on a rope. In the center is a deeply carved and shaded scrollwork motif frames a cribbage board, in the center of which a pair of polar bears flank a dead walrus. To the right are two sparring reindeer with their antlers entangled. The reverse has a scene of two hunters dragging dead seals along the ice; in front of them is a rider on a dogsled drawn by five dogs. The quality, scale and lithographic quality of the carving clearly indicate the hand of a professional scrimshaw artist working for the tourist trade.

Date Made: ca 1900

Location: Currently not on view

Place Made: United States: Alaska

See more items in: Political and Military History: Armed Forces History, Naval, Cultures & Communities, Scrimshaw

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: AF.59396-NCatalog Number: 59396-NAccession Number: 260075

Object Name: game

Physical Description: bone (overall material)engraved (overall production method/technique)Measurements: overall: 22 in x 3 in; 55.88 cm x 7.62 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a2-99ff-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_455685

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