Scrimshaw Work from Whaling Days

Antique Decorated Whale Teeth and Walrus Tusks

Mar 23, 2008 John Blatchford

In the past whalers often scratched designs onto the teeth of Sperm Whales. Modern scrimshanders now use a variety of other materials to continue this tradition.

In the eighteenth century whalers often filled their spare time by carving or scratching designs on the unwanted teeth of the whales they had caught. The final product (decorated whale teeth) is known as scrimshaw.

History of Scrimshaw

In the early part of the eighteenth century whaling was a slow business, and since the sailors could not work at night they had a lot of spare time on their hands. Many passed the time by using a sharp object to scratch designs on whale teeth. Once the design was finished soot or tobacco juice was rubbed in to give contrast. Since this was done onboard a rolling ship most of this early work is poorly executed, and this is often helpful when trying to decide if a piece is old or modern.

Modern Scrimshanders

The tradition of carving onto whale teeth (and other ivory) continues to this day, and the people who do it are known as ‘scrimshanders’. Modern scrimshaw work is much more detailed than the antique stuff – the scrimshanders have a stable platform, good lighting and a range of specialist tools. Modern work is also often highly coloured, with more than the sooty blacks and tobacco-browns of the past. (Of course it is possible to do modern work that looks old, and this can become a kind of forgery if there is an attempt to pass off modern work as – valuable – antique pieces!).

Materials Used Originally

• Sperm Whale teeth were abundant, conveniently sized and shaped, and easy to work. These were probably the most widely used vehicles.
• Walrus tusks were sometimes obtained from trappers, and while they are rarer that Sperm Whale teeth many examples are known
• Narwhal tusks are also found occasionally, either whole (very long!) or cut into sections.
• Other whale bones (not ‘whalebone’) and teeth were used much more rarely.

Modern Materials

The supply of fresh whale teeth has dried up, as has the supply of other forms of ivory, but there are still stocks of older materials legally available to modern scrimshanders. Unlikely as it might seem fossil woolly mammoth tusks are sometimes used, as is the ivory stripped off old piano keys.

Prehistoric Work

As soon as mankind began to use bone and ivory tools we find examples of scratched designs and carving, but the term ‘scrimshaw’ refers only to much more recent work. Originally the term referred to any tool made (by sailors) from bones or teeth, later being restricted to decorative pieces.

Read more at Suite101: Scrimshaw Work from Whaling Days: Antique Decorated Whale Teeth and Walrus Tusks http://marinebiologyoceanography.suite101.com/article.cfm/scrimshaw#ixzz0eAdS5ho7

Scrimshaw

by Elly Kendall

American scrimshaw dates back to at least 100-200 AD in North America, practiced for centuries by native groups along the Northwest Coast. Not wanting to simply discard the teeth and bones of animals hunted for food, native cultures invented a new style of art that would later be known as Scrimshaw, one of only a few indigenous American crafts.

While other cultures around the world, such as the Orient artists, certainly worked in ivory and bone, the style of North American cultures and that of the Yankee sailors who followed were uniquely their own, making scrimshaw a traditionally American art form. It was adopted by the Yankee whale men of the early 1800's. Two- to five-year voyages quickly became monotonous, so the whale men turned to working with baleen, whale teeth, and jawbones, all of which were in abundant supply. In fact, on many ships, whale teeth were part of the pay and were often traded in port for goods or services. The origin of the word is obscure; one interesting etymology is a Dutch phrase meaning "to waste one's time!" The term "scrimshaw" also applies to carved or pierced bone or ivory, since much of the whale men’s work was carved rather than etched.

Scrimshaw art is a slow and tedious process where one mistake can ruin an entire piece. Creating ivory sculpture or carving is equally unforgiving work. Scrimshaw is not an art form for the impatient. Each piece can take from 30 to over 900 hours to complete. Scrimshaw is usually defined as carving or embellishment of ivory or bone. Today's definition would more likely be thought of as the intricate incising of ivory to produce images of unbelievable detail. Incising and engraving could both describe the scrimshaw method. Extremely sharp scribes scratch the surface of the ivory, and then paint or ink is rubbed into the incisions. Stippling is a technique of employing thousands of tiny holes that are then carefully filled with pigment to reveal a beautiful work of art and to create the fine shading.

Today, Scrimshaw is still practiced by master scrimshanders (the scrimshaw artist) and their work is highly sought after and collected. Perhaps the most noted collector was President John F. Kennedy, who even displayed many of his most cherished pieces of ivory scrimshaw in the Oval Office of the White House. The greatest masters of the craft to have ever picked up a scribe are working today. Their techniques and the modern-day masterpieces they create have contributed greatly to the increasing collector’s value of this significant and historical American art form. This is the era of the finest masterpieces ever produced in scrimshaw.

No animals are harmed as the result of work by responsible scrimshanders. Most srimshaw is done on shed antler, bone, horn, legal elephant, antique piano keys and fossil ivories. The fossil ivory is from the ice age giant, the Wooly Mammoth, or ancient fossil mastodon or walrus tusk, making it ecologically ideal for the traditional 14th wedding anniversary gift of ivory. Horn scrimshaw is most often seen on black powder hunting horns. The rare and beautiful woods used by the artist are primarily black Ebony from harvest farms near Makassar on the island of Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia, and equally magnificent Ironwoods from the African continent.

Scrimshaw combines the allure of history, fine art, and heritage making it not only a potentially valuable investment but an investment in our heritage. It links us with cave art to modern pieces and with extinct creatures. Maybe the value scrimshaw collectors see far surpasses the dollar.

Scrimshaw

by Elly Kendall

American scrimshaw dates back to at least 100-200 AD in North America, practiced for centuries by native groups along the Northwest Coast. Not wanting to simply discard the teeth and bones of animals hunted for food, native cultures invented a new style of art that would later be known as Scrimshaw, one of only a few indigenous American crafts.

While other cultures around the world, such as the Orient artists, certainly worked in ivory and bone, the style of North American cultures and that of the Yankee sailors who followed were uniquely their own, making scrimshaw a traditionally American art form. It was adopted by the Yankee whale men of the early 1800's. Two- to five-year voyages quickly became monotonous, so the whale men turned to working with baleen, whale teeth, and jawbones, all of which were in abundant supply. In fact, on many ships, whale teeth were part of the pay and were often traded in port for goods or services. The origin of the word is obscure; one interesting etymology is a Dutch phrase meaning "to waste one's time!" The term "scrimshaw" also applies to carved or pierced bone or ivory, since much of the whale men’s work was carved rather than etched.

Scrimshaw art is a slow and tedious process where one mistake can ruin an entire piece. Creating ivory sculpture or carving is equally unforgiving work. Scrimshaw is not an art form for the impatient. Each piece can take from 30 to over 900 hours to complete. Scrimshaw is usually defined as carving or embellishment of ivory or bone. Today's definition would more likely be thought of as the intricate incising of ivory to produce images of unbelievable detail. Incising and engraving could both describe the scrimshaw method. Extremely sharp scribes scratch the surface of the ivory, and then paint or ink is rubbed into the incisions. Stippling is a technique of employing thousands of tiny holes that are then carefully filled with pigment to reveal a beautiful work of art and to create the fine shading.

Today, Scrimshaw is still practiced by master scrimshanders (the scrimshaw artist) and their work is highly sought after and collected. Perhaps the most noted collector was President John F. Kennedy, who even displayed many of his most cherished pieces of ivory scrimshaw in the Oval Office of the White House. The greatest masters of the craft to have ever picked up a scribe are working today. Their techniques and the modern-day masterpieces they create have contributed greatly to the increasing collector’s value of this significant and historical American art form. This is the era of the finest masterpieces ever produced in scrimshaw.

No animals are harmed as the result of work by responsible scrimshanders. Most srimshaw is done on shed antler, bone, horn, legal elephant, antique piano keys and fossil ivories. The fossil ivory is from the ice age giant, the Wooly Mammoth, or ancient fossil mastodon or walrus tusk, making it ecologically ideal for the traditional 14th wedding anniversary gift of ivory. Horn scrimshaw is most often seen on black powder hunting horns. The rare and beautiful woods used by the artist are primarily black Ebony from harvest farms near Makassar on the island of Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia, and equally magnificent Ironwoods from the African continent.

Scrimshaw combines the allure of history, fine art, and heritage making it not only a potentially valuable investment but an investment in our heritage. It links us with cave art to modern pieces and with extinct creatures. Maybe the value scrimshaw collectors see far surpasses the dollar.

Scrimshaw Art in Bequia
By Norma Faria

Scrimshaw is the traditional seaman's art of etching seafaring scenes on whale's teeth, bones and other hard materials like oak wood. A maker of scrimshaw is called a scrimshander.

In its heyday during the 1800s, scrimshaw was a true maritime art. Seamen, especially those working on whale-hunting square riggers, had plenty of time on their hands as they journeyed to and from the whale grounds.

On the whale's teeth they had collected on previous voyages, they etched in with sail needles those scenes with which they were intimately involved: whale hunts, other sailing vessels, the mythical mermaid.

Later, they would give their work away to their loved ones, barter with the local tavern owner for a few drinks, trade to a woman of the night for a few moments of companionship or generally try to sell them.

Now, with the decline of the whaling industry and with modern-day fishermen and merchant mariners passing their free time watching videos, scrimshaw is almost all done ashore. The bucking, cramped musty seamen's quarters in the fo'c'sle (scrimshaw was also sometimes done on deck) have been replaced with well-lit and airy studios.

Some of the modern day practitioners of the art have little connection with the sea. Others, such as Sam McDowell, do.

McDowell, one of the world's top scrimshaw artists, who maintains a winter home and studio at Paget Farm on Bequia's south coast, first came to the Caribbean on board the charter schooner Ramona during the 1960s. He was interested in the maritime tradition of the area. In the early 1970s, he built a house above a pebble beach overlooking Isle a Quatre (pronounced "Oily Cot" by the islanders) and other Grenadine islands to the south. It was to nearby Petit Nevis that the Bequia whalers would tow the whale carcasses to be cut up.

McDowell paints as well; some of his canvasses (the scene of the Port Elizabeth, Bequia, jetty with the then-ferry schoonerFriendship Rose offloading, for example) show his maritime interest.

Scrimshaw is painstaking work. That's why a big magnifying glass and light hang over McDowell's working table. As with the seamen's work of yesterday, most of his scrimshaw is set on or around the seashore.

It's not politically correct now to talk of whale killing, but where does he get his whale teeth? People are going after whale watching now, although the International Whaling Commission allows an annual quota of two whales for Bequia's indigenous whale fishery. McDowell replies: "Micarta". That's an imitation ivory. It's made of a high-tech plastic. It's a good substitute. Camel bone (they seem to be quite plentiful despite the new rigours of camel racing these days) may also be used. India ink is put into the scratches to highlight the etching.

Some of the art is utilitarian. He has a line of knife handles made from micarta which cruising yachtspeople buy.

Prices vary. You pay for the labour and name of the artist. Many pieces end up as displays on the cabin bulkhead or over the fireplace back home. A US$500 to $600 knife is not something you would drop into your pocket as you climb the mast to free a jammed halyard.

Certain original scrimshaw pieces made by seafarers during the last century are now collector's items. "The price from the whalerSusan will go $90,000 per item," says McDowell. "Value increases with the artist's name and that of the ship."

Sam and his Bermuda-born wife Donna also recreate another form of 19th century sailor's art: "Sailor's Valentines". These were gifts made of seashells inlaid in a small box.

Some of the seafarers bought their valentines from handicraft shops on Caribbean islands before they hoisted sail for their homeport. This wasn't done to pull a fast one and pass off the handiwork as their own work, but simply to save time. Some just didn't have the talent or the patience.

McDowell mentioned the example from the B.H. Belgrave store in Barbados whose label identified it as a "Dealer in Marine Specialties and Native Manufacturer in Fancy Work." As with scrimshaw, antique sailor's valentines are now sold for prices hardly imagined by the invariably anonymous sailors and island craftpeople who made them long ago.

An art teacher at Princeton High School in New Jersey at one time, McDowell has formal training as an artist. He's originally from Carmel, California.

He feels the Caribbean needs art from its own people as well. He reasons: "I feel there is a hunger for works by local artists. The example of Canute Caliste of Carriacou shows that people worldwide are interested."

The McDowells would like to expand the sharing of their skills to local aspiring artists. They've taken on apprentices and will continue to do so as circumstances allow.

How to Polish Bull Horns

Contributor

By J. Edward Casteele
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (0 Ratings)

Bull horns can be used for decoration and also function as a powder horn or other container. A smooth, luxurious finish on the horn is desired regardless of what it is being used for. The method by which you polish a bull horn depends largely on whether the horn is fresh or old; older bull horns have developed a patina, a thin film caused by oxidation from exposure to the air. As the patina protects the horn from more severe oxidation and gives it an antiqued beauty, you must take care not to remove the patina from older horns when trying to restore a beautiful polish.

New Horn

1. Step1

   Scrape the bull horn lightly with a razor blade to remove any rough spots from the horn. Do not apply downward force while doing this; lay the blade on its side, and allow it to move lightly over the surface of the horn.

2. Step2

   Rub the horn down lightly with a steel wool pad to buff any rough areas that the razor blade missed. Do not apply excess pressure to the horn with the steel wool.

3. Step3

   Begin buffing the horn with sandpaper. Start with a rough grade, move to a medium grade and finish with a fine grade. Do not apply excess pressure to the horn, but increase the pressure slightly with each change in grade. Wet the bull horn, and wipe it dry with a clean cotton or canvas cloth in between grades.

4. Step4

   Apply a paste floor, surfboard, or automotive wax to polish the bull horn, using a clean cotton cloth to buff the wax to a shine.

Antique Horn

5. Step1

   Mix a mild detergent or soap with warm water. Using a sponge, use the water to lightly wet the bull horn. Make sure that the horn is thoroughly damp but is not exceedingly wet.

6. Step2

   Wipe the horn with the sponge to remove any excess dirt that may be clinging to the bull horn. Place the sponge back into the water, and wring it out to clean it; then re-wet the sponge, and wipe the horn down again.

7. Step3

   Place toothpaste on a cloth, and wipe down the horn. Toothpaste contains a very mild abrasive that is gentle enough to not damage teeth, so it can remove additional dirt or oils while lightly buffing the surface of the horn.

8. Step4

   Use the sponge and water once again to clean the bull horn and remove any toothpaste that might remain on its surface. Wet and wring the sponge again, then re-wet it to complete one last cleaning of the horn.

9. Step5

   Wipe the horn dry with a clean cotton or canvas cloth. Apply moderate force when wiping so as to further buff the natural shine of the horn and its patina.

10. Step6

    Use lanolin or a paste floor wax to add additional shine to the horn if desired, making sure that you rub the horn well to remove any excess wax or lanolin after you have applied it.