Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid-19th Century
date: label: date made
content: mid 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: This small sperm whale's tooth is highly polished, but only has an unfinished freehand carving on one side. Identifiable by the whaleboats on davits along the right or starboard side, a small three-masted whaleship sails from left to right on a choppy sea. The ship's hull is deeply carved and detailed, but the sails are only outlined, with some sketchy standing rigging just started by the artist.
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: 1978.0052.33
label: accession number
content: 1978.0052
label: catalog number
content: 1978.52.33
objectType: label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw
label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw tooth, whale
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: whale tooth (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: scrimshaw (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 in x 1 5/8 in x 1 1/8 in; 12.7 cm x 4.1275 cm x 2.8575 cm