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Historic Scrimshaw - Sperm Whale Tooth
One of the largest sperm whale teeth in the American History Museum’s collection, this huge example measures 8-1/2 inches long. One entire side is taken up by the horizontal inscription “TAKEN BY THE SHIP/ MONTREAL OF LONDON/IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN FROM/A ONE HUNDRED BARREL/ WHALE”.
This is an example of a whales tooth prepared for the art of scrimshaw. When a tooth is removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale, its surface is rough and discolored, with ridges of varying depth along its lengtht.
On the obverse of this large, highly polished sperm whale’s tooth is a large bust portrait of a young woman gazing pensively to the left. Likely unmarried on account of the absence of a wedding band on her left ring finger, she wears a long veil on her head that is gathered in her hands like a shawl.
3D scanning and modelling provided by yesyesBD. Scrimshaw are objects created by carving or engraving the teeth and bones of whales and other marine mammals. Some images were drawn freehand, others were copied, often by pricking an outline through a template, which was pasted over the surface of the object to be decorated.
This tooth of a sperm whale was probably etched and decorated by a sailor on a whaling ship. This art form, known as pictorial scrimshaw began in the early 19th century as a leisure activity for whalers who were often at sea for up to four years.
The obverse of this large, flat sperm whale tooth is etched with a large, full-rigged ship with all sails set, driving from left to right towards the viewer. The yards or horizontal spars are deeply pinpricked, but the rest of the ship was carved freehand.
