Images(2)

Scrimshaw whistle

Date19th century

Object number00006618

NameScrimshaw Whistle

MediumWhalebone, baleen

DimensionsOverall: 47 x 15 x 15 mm

ClassificationsDecorative and folk art

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis whistle was craved from a piece of whalebone and features a threaded end with a separate pea. Whalers often produced small functional objects out of whaling by-products. On average a whaling expedition lasted up to five years and sailors would spend a large part of the time waiting onboard the ship.HistoryScrimshaw was originally a whalers' folk art and involves carving and engraving animal material, including whale bone, teeth, baleen, shell, ivory and tusks. Jackknives and metal tools were used to make incisions which would then have pigment rubbed into them to enhance the drawings. Engravings on teeth are the most widely recognised form of scrimshaw, however sailors made many small simplistic items of everyday use.SignificanceThis scrimshaw whistle represents the diversity of functional objects made by whalers in the 19th century.