Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid-19th Century
notes: label: Description
content: The obverse of this sperm whale tooth is carved with a freehand drawing of a three masted ship sailing from right to left. All sails are set and filled with wind, as the ship moves over the sea. The carving is deep, intricate and highly detailed, showing confidence and experience on the part of the artist. The reverse depicts a freehand drawing of the bust of a young woman in a fancy dress. She has large hoop earrings and an elaborate hat decorated with flowers. The portrait is surrounded by an oval frame. Normally, scrimshaw carving was infilled with lamp black, which made the etched lines stand out. On this tooth, however, the artist chose to infill with a light red or orange color, which has faded with time. This results in very faint lines that do not showcase the artist's obvious talent.
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: 1978.0052.32
label: accession number
content: 1978.0052
label: catalog number
content: 1978.52.32
objectType: label: Object Name
content: tooth, whale
label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw - tooth
label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw tooth, whale
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: scrimshaw (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: whale tooth (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 3/4 in x 2 in x 1 3/8 in; 12.065 cm x 5.08 cm x 3.4925 cm