Scrimshaw Spyglass or Telescope, mid-19th Century
date: label: date made
content: mid 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: This elegant little three-draw spyglass or pocket telescope is made of brass, with a central hollow handle of whale ivory. The handle is divided by ruled lines, which have the engraved inscription "MADE FOR/DEAREST/REBECCA/FROM SAMUEL/SEPT. 1867/LOOK YE OUT TO SEA/FOR ME. FROM ATOP/THE WALK YE SEE/TOPSAILS COME AHOME/TO THEE."
label: Description
content: The poetic sentiment is offset from the rest of the inscription by horizontal lines of rope and vines. Some houses in the town of Nantucket, MA and other New England seaports had little porches with railings built above their roofs. Wives and sweethearts would climb the stairs to these high perches, known as "widow's walks", to look out to sea for their husbands and sweethearts coming home from long sea voyages. The topsails, or sails at the very top of the masts, would be the first things the women could see from these high vantage points. This spyglass has a mounting pin that could be set in a railing to steady it.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
label: See more items in
content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Scrimshaw
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: 1978.0052.07
label: accession number
content: 1978.0052
label: catalog number
content: 1978.52.7
objectType: label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw
label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw telescope
label: Object Type
content: scrimshaws
label: Other Terms
content: scrimshaw; Maritime
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: bone (body inset material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 1/4 in x 1 1/4 in; 15.875 cm x 3.175 cm