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Ship at sea
Ship at sea

Ship at sea

Date19th century
Object number00003839
NameScrimshaw whale tooth
MediumWhale tooth
DimensionsDisplay dimensions: 115 x 60 x 45 mm
ClassificationsDecorative and folk art
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis whale tooth has been carved in the scrimshaw technique and depicts a ship at sea. The simple engraving has been filled with dark pigment to enhance the etching. Sperm whale teeth were gathered by whalers for the purpose of making scrimshaw and today these pieces are the most recognised and popular form of the folk art.HistoryAmerican scrimshaw can trace its early roots back to the 19th century whaling industry and was a folk art practised by whale hunters with plenty of spare time on their hands. A tooth would be selected and sawn off for stability, then filed and sanded to a smooth surface. The basic design, often copied from books and magazine illustrations, would be scratched into the tooth and the engraved lines filled with ink, lamp black or another pigment. As work progressed more detail would be added to finish the design.SignificanceThis tooth demonstrates how scrimshaw engravings can be simplistic and crude, often due to cramped conditions onboard whaling ships, limited carving tools and a lack of artistic skill.