Natural Resources

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Panbone, mid 19th Century

Description

This large panbone, or section of the back of a sperm whale’s jaw, served as the canvas for a whaleman’s freehand drawing on two levels. In the center of the upper level is a three-masted whaleship with painted gun ports along its sides. Merchant vessels often did this, to look like powerful warships from a distance and thus protect themselves from pirates or other predators. The ship’s vertical whaleboat davits are empty, and the ship is sailing towards its little fleet of four whaleboats in various stages of harpooning a pod of five whales. Four of the whales are ‘blowing,’ or exhaling through the blowholes on top of their heads. One of the whales already has two harpoons sticking out of its back and is towing a whaleboat on a ‘Nantucket sleigh ride.' Behind the ship on the left is an old-fashioned two-masted topsail schooner sailing in the opposite direction. The sea in the foreground is calm, and the scene is placed against a shoreline of low, rolling hills. Below is another pair of sailing ships: a two-masted square-rigged brig follows a brigantine with a square-rigged foremast and a fore-and-aft main. Although engraved by the same very talented artist, the two levels of illustrations do not appear to be related. Judging from the extremely detailed and technical rigs and sails of all the ships, the scrimshaw artist may have been a sailmaker or rigger.

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.

date made

mid 1800s

1840 - 1860

ID Number

DL.057605B

catalog number

57605B

accession number

2009.0206

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Whalebone and Bone Umbrella

Description

The bony substance from the mouths of whales known as baleen is formed of keratin, like human hair and nails. It hangs in long, parallel sheets from the upper jaws of the blue, right, and minke whales, as well as other lesser-known species. Its hairy fringe filters food from seawater.

Dried out, baleen’s strength and flexibility made it ideal for buggy whips, corset busks, and umbrella ribs before the advent of plastic. A whale’s bone could actually be worth more than its oil. This man’s large umbrella has a wooden shaft, heavy hinged baleen ribs made in short sections, and an ivory handle. Marked “G. Hobbs, Barre,” it belonged to the donor’s grandfather, who lived in Barre, Massachusetts, until around the end of the Civil War.

Date made

ca 1835-1865

user

Hobbs, George

ID Number

AG.169283.01

accession number

169283

catalog number

169283.01

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Safety Lamp Patent Model

Description (Brief)

This safety lamp is a patent model constructed by John Harding of Warrington, Lancaster, Great Britain that received patent number 72,196 on December 17, 1867. Harding’s claim in the patent application is the “employment, and use of a soft-metal or other rivet, or other compressible plug, as a fastening for safety-lamps, instead of locks, screws, or other mechanical contrivances now employed.” The locking device can be seen on the base of this Davy-style lamp.

Location

Currently not on view

Associated Date

12-17-1867

ID Number

AG.MHI-MT-308736

accession number

089797

catalog number

MHI-MT-308736

patent number

72196

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Ship's Surgical Kit

Description (Brief)

This wooden surgical case with brass fittings has three main compartments, one of which is a tray that lifts out from the lower case. The interior of the case is molded so that each instrument has its own compartment. The entire interior is lined with purple velvet. The exterior of the lid has an oval escutcheon which is marked, "U.S.A./ Hosp. Dept." The set includes 45 instruments, three of which are not original to the set. At least six instruments are missing, including four knives and a bandage scissors.

During the Civil War the United States Army contracted with several surgical instrument makers, including Herman Hernstein to provide surgical sets for the Union troops.

As a young boy in Germany Hermann Hernstein was apprenticed to a surgical instrument maker. He came to the United States in 1841 and settled in New York City. Within a few years, he had established his own shop.

According to Edmonson much of Hernstein’s inventory was imported from Europe.

Description

Surgical kits were not required on merchant vessels, but the larger and better-equipped ships often carried them. These were used for everything from pulling teeth to the amputation of limbs, and everything in between. Like the medicine chests, these kits too were often sold with simple pamphlets, with instructions and diagrams on how to use them in emergencies. The captain or first mate most commonly carried out any needed procedures.

date made

1862-1865

maker

Hermann Hernstein & Son

ID Number

1977.1103.01

accession number

1977.1103

catalog number

1977.1103.01

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model

Description (Brief)

This oil-wick lamp is a patent model constructed by W. G. Dowd of Scranton, Pennsylvania that received patent number 90,434, on May 25, 1869. The patent filing is for the wick raiser on this lamp seen on the outside of the spout. Dowd claimed as his invention “a wire bent over the outer edge of the wicktube with its outer portion sliding in the guide, and its inner portion bent to form an eye to which are hung the fork,” so as to raise the wick by the sliding of the wire.

Location

Currently not on view

patent date

1869-05-25

patentee

Dowd, W. G.

ID Number

AG.MHI-MN-9744

accession number

88881

catalog number

MHI-MN-9744

patent number

090434

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Miner’s Safety Lamp Patent Model

Description (Brief)

This safety lamp is a patent model constructed by Joseph Defossez of Paris, France that received patent number 36,341 on September 2, 1862. In his patent filing, Defossez claimed as his invention “the pneumatic locking device in combination with the oil reservoir, top plate, and chimney” constructed to avoid the risk of mining explosions.

Location

Currently not on view

patent date

09-02-1862

ID Number

AG.MHI-MN-9741

catalog number

MHI-MN-9741

accession number

088881

patent number

036341

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Polychrome Scrimshaw Whale Tooth

Description

Even whalemen with little or no artistic talent could carve highly detailed scenes, through use of the pinprick technique. In this method, a picture was cut from a contemporary magazine and then pasted or dampened to stick to the polished surface of a sperm whale's tooth. A sharp pin was then pushed through the lines of the image, which was then removed. This left lines of dots; when these were connected with engraved lines, they formed a copy of the original picture. Most commonly, lamp black (soot) was then rubbed into the engraved lines to make them stand out from the background of the tooth, although colored pigments like those on this tooth also could be applied for variety. The high fashion of this lady's garments bracket a date just a few years after the end of the Civil War.

Date made

1865 - 1869

ID Number

DL.374502

catalog number

374502

accession number

136263

Data Source

National Museum of American History