Advance Australia - Kangaroo and Emu - Liberty & Equality

Artist Charles H Wood

Date1850s

Object number00015968

NameScrimshaw

MediumSperm whale tooth (Physeter Macrocephalus)

DimensionsOverall: 170 mm, 1 kg

ClassificationsDecorative and folk art

Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Terms

DescriptionThis whale tooth has been engraved with both American and Australian motifs. The motto 'Liberty & Equality' appears above the American coat of arms and eagle. The motto 'Advance Australia' is above an emu and kangaroo. The back of the tooth is inscribed with the rhyme 'Monstrous whales I did pursue, on the Pacific Ocean, from one of them I got this tooth, I present it as a token'.HistoryScrimshaw was originally a maritime craft that developed from the conditions encountered onboard whaling ships in the early 19th century. No one knows for sure where the term originated, but it comes from the Dutch words 'scrim' meaning to etch and 'shorn' meaning to make. The earliest written reference is in an American ship's log dated 20 May 1826. There is also a reference to 'skrim shunder articles' in Herman Melville's Moby Dick in 1851. For a period of roughly 100 years whalers produced a wide variety of scrimshaw, but it is the engraved teeth and jaws that have received the most attention and admiration. Teeth are generally considered classic scrimshaw because of their decoration, including whaling scenes, family members, religion, love, women and patriotism. The rhyme inscribed on the back of this tooth states 'Monstrous whales I did pursue, / on the pacific ocean, / from one of them I got this tooth, / I present it as a token'. SignificanceThis tooth demonstrates the links between American and Australian whalers during the 19th century. It is a high quality production by an English artist probably trained in the art of engraving.