Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, 19th-20th Centuries
date: label: date made
content: 19th-20th century
notes: label: Description
content: This large, highly polished sperm whale tooth is carved on both sides. The obverse is etched with a large full-rigged three-masted ship sailing towards the observer with all sails set. Atop the mainmast is a homeward bound pennant, and fifteen gunports are aligned along the starboard side of the ship. Below the sailing ship is etched in upper case letters "MONMOUTH-L.Is." (for Long Island). The reverse has a large heart with a keyhole in the center, with a forked pennant swirling around it marked "SARAH THE KEY IS WITH THEE 1864". Below the name "Wm. BAYLES" is etched along the same line as the lettering on the other side. There were no whalers named <i>Monmouth</i> in the records, and William Bayles does not appear in the New Bedford Whaling Museum Whaling Crew List Database.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Scrimshaw
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content: Transportation
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content: Art
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: From the collection of Dr. and Mrs. Wilbur J. Gould
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1978.0052.25
label: accession number
content: 1978.0052
label: catalog number
content: 1978.52.25
objectType: label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw
label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw tooth, whale
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: whale tooth (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 7 1/8 in x 2 7/8 in x 1 3/4 in; 18.0975 cm x 7.3025 cm x 4.445 cm