Product Description
Maritime scrimshaw, a unique American art form, has its roots in the age of wooden ships. In the 18th Century, whaler sailing ships harvested whale and walrus blubber for lamp oil and candle wax. The sailors on whaling ships had a lot of spare time on board their ships. When not hunting and processing whales, mariners occupied free time etching and making small objects from whaling byproducts. Bones and teeth of sperm whales, baleen, and walrus tusks were readily available on board ship. Scrimshaw crafted before 1973 (from sperm whale ivory, walrus ivory etc.), during the 19th and 20th Centuries, is legal. It is prohibited after 1973 for commercial import in the U.S. under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
This historical set includes a resin replica of a 19th Century American scrimshaw.
This is a vertically designed whale tooth with a portrait of Captain Ward Parker Vincent on the front. Above a bird holding two harpoons under a watchful eye. Captain Vincent was a famous arctic explorer and lecturer. The reverse side of this tooth shows a fully rigged ship called the Stenrofjord sailing past cliffs. Includes 1 resin museum-quality replica of an actual scrimshaw carving of the Stenrofjord mounted on a 5"x 7" card! Approximately 3.5" long.
