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Scrimshaw fid made from Walrus tusk
Scrimshaw fid made from Walrus tusk

Scrimshaw fid made from Walrus tusk

Date19th century
Object number00049050
NameScrimshaw fid
MediumWalrus tusk
DimensionsOverall: 195 x 23 mm, 91 g
ClassificationsDecorative and folk art
Credit LineANMM Collection
HistoryHerbert Edward (Bert) Young assembled a collection of maritime objects, books, papers, images and ephemera, and established Young's Maritime Museum from his home in Forestville, a suburb of Sydney, in the late 1960s. This private museum was short-lived and in 1972, Young presented his collection to the Department of Shipping and Transport to hold for incorporation into a future national maritime museum. The collection was transferred to the ANMM in1987. SignificanceThe collection contains an eclectic and wide range of maritime objects such as octants, fog horns and ship's wheels, and many items with significant provenance, most notably objects relating to Captain Neitenstein, the commander of the Nautical School Ship Sobraon in the 1890s. There are also paintings including a series of works by the Newcastle maritime historian and artist Terry Callen.