Plastic Scrimshaw Tooth (Fakeshaw), Late 20th Century
notes: label: Description
content: This modern polymer tooth, or “fakeshaw”, was collected for comparative purposes. In recent years, authentic whale ivory and bone scrimshaw has become valuable on the folk art market. In the 1970s, companies began casting plastic replica scrimshaw teeth and other objects, usually with very elaborate scenes, dates and inscriptions. Many of these have made their way into antique shops and flea markets, where they are sold as authentic folk art instead of modern reproductions.
label: Description
content: On one side of this tooth, there is a vertical portrait of Napoleon, inscribed with his name on the bottom. On the other side is a horizontal scene of a three-man gun crew hauling a loaded cannon up to a gun port on a lower deck of a warship. This side has “1815” inscribed below the men.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
title: label: Title
content: Plastic Scrimshaw Tooth (Fakeshaw), Late 20th Century
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: Walter John Silva
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1998.0004.01
label: catalog number
content: 1998.0004.01
label: accession number
content: 1998.0004
objectType: label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw, plastic
label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw tooth, plastic
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 16.5 cm x 6.3 cm x 3.8 cm; 6 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in x 1 1/2 in