Practice Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century
notes: label: Description
content: This two-sided carved whale’s tooth is a rare and unusual practice piece by an accomplished scrimshaw artist. Instead of a finished tooth with fully developed scenes, the artist used the smooth sides of a polished tooth to try out several unrelated subjects in different scales, much like a painter’s sketchbook might show preliminary details in advance of a larger composition. On one side is a revolver, below which are the initials “F.B.” and an open pocket watch and chain. Under that is a fish in profile, above an intricate shoreside scene that wraps around to the other side of the tooth. A well-dressed man in a 19th century wheelchair is on the edge. On the other side are two machines, one of which is a steam cart on wheels. An unfinished lady’s dress is on the bottom, and in the middle of this side are the words “CEDAR CAMPHOR”.
label: Description
content: The tooth very clearly demonstrates the pinprick technique used by scrimshanders to engrave their subjects. With this method, artists cut an engraving out of a magazine and pasted it onto a smooth whale’s tooth. Then they pushed a sharp pin through the engraving’s lines, after which the paper was washed off. The scrimshander then connected the dots and rubbed pigment(usually lamp soot) into the engraved lines to make them stand out.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Whaling
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Scrimshaw
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Transportation
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content: Art
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Frederic A. Delano
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.374505
label: catalog number
content: 374505
label: accession number
content: 136263
objectType: label: Object Name
content: tooth, whale
label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw
label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw tooth, whale
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: scrimshaw (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: tooth (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 3/8 in x 3 3/8 in x 1 3/4 in; 13.6525 cm x 8.5725 cm x 4.445 cm