Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid-19th Century
date: label: date made
content: mid 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: On the obverse of this polished sperm whale tooth, a well-dressed woman is seated sidesaddle on a spirited, prancing horse. The woman wears a tight cap and a long heavy dress; the long calf-length cape over her shoulders has traces of blue pigment. In her left hand she holds the reins; with her right hand she holds or pats the horse's neck. The horse blanket or saddle has a red and black checkerboard pattern.
label: Description
content: The reverse of the tooth is decorated with a more conventional image of a three-masted whaleship with all sails set on a light sea. An American flag with blue star ground and red stripes flying at the stern identifies the ship's nationality. One whaleboat is inverted on deck, and another swings from davits along the port side, ready to deploy over the side into the water. Some red coloration of the sea along the hull may indicate that a whale was just cut in, bloodying the water. In the left background sails another full-rigged ship, also flying a pigmented American flag. Above the ships are two overlapping hearts with a single arrow piercing them both, encircled by a vine with bright red berries. The drawing on this tooth was freehand rather than pinpricked through an existing image, indicating a talented and experienced artist. It is one of a pair with Cat. 58035-N, both by the same artist.
label: Description
content: Normally, a scrimshaw artists’s etched lines were infilled with lampblack to contrast with the pale background color of the whalebone or ivory. In this case, however, the artist has added red and blue pigments to vary his palette. These added colors have faded with time, making them hard to see.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Naval
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Scrimshaw
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.58037-N
label: catalog number
content: 58037-N
label: accession number
content: 209543
objectType: label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: scrimshaw (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 in x 2 in; 12.7 cm x 5.08 cm