Care and cleaning

Treat your scrimshawed ivory as you would any fine jewelry. Do not get it wet unnecessarily, because the inks, especially colors, may fade. Keep your scrimshaw out of bright sun; this dries and cracks the ivory and may fade certain colored inks. Detergents, shampoo, heavily chlorinated water, and jewelry cleaning solutions should be avoided, as they turn the ivory surface dull and remove the etched lines. Dirt and oils may be removed with a cotton swab moistened in rubbing alcohol and wiped gently over the surface. Do not scrub, as this will remove some ink from the fine lines. I use a light coat of warm beeswax rubbed into the ivory to preserve the scrimshaw and keep the ivory from drying and aging too fast. Waxing should be repeated when the ivory is cleaned, because the alcohol removes it. If you treat your scrimshaw with care, it will give you many years of pleasure and may become a treasured heirloom.

What is scrimshaw?

Scrimshaw -- Painstaking etching on ivory or bone -- is one of only a few indigenous American crafts. Practiced for centuries by the Inuit and other native groups along the Northwest Coast, it was adopted by the Yankee whalemen of the early 1800's. Two- to five-year voyages quickly became monotonous, so the whalemen 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 to shopkeepers in port for goods or services. Common subjects included whaling scenes, ships, women, and scenes copied from magazines of the day. 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 whalemen's work was carved rather than etched.

History & Materials

Scrimshaw is derived from the shipboard practice of sailors creating common tools, and on whaling ships the byproducts of whales were readily available. The term originally referred to the making of these tools, only later referring to works of art created by whalers in their spare time. Whale bone is ideally suited for the task, as it is easy to work and was very plentiful.

The development of scrimshaw took off after the market for whale teeth, which was sought by Chinese traders for use in the Pacific Islands (for example the Fijian market for tabua), was flooded with teeth after a narrative by an American sailor, Captain David Porter, revealed both the market and the source of the teeth. Around this time is the earliest authenticated pictorial piece of scrimshaw (1817). The tooth was inscribed with the following This is the tooth of a sperm whale that was caught near the Galapagos islands by the crew of the ship Adam [of London], and made 100 barrels of oil in the year 1817.[2]

Other sea animal ivories were also used as alternatives for rarer whale teeth. Walrus tusks, for example, may have been acquired in trade from indigenous walrus hunters.

Scrimshaw essentially was a leisure activity for whalers. Because the work of whaling was very dangerous at the best of times, whalers were unable to work at night. This gave them a great deal more free time than other sailors. A lot of scrimshaw was never signed and a great many of the pieces are anonymous. Early scrimshaw was done with crude sailing needles, and the movement of the ship, as well as the skill of the artist, produced drawings of varying levels of detail and artistry. Originally, candle black, soot or tobacco juice would have been used to bring the etched design into view. Today's artists use finer tools in various sizes, mostly borrowed from the dental industry. Some scrimshanders ink their work with more than one color, and restrained polychromed examples of this art are now popular.

Originating in an era when sperm whales were initially plentiful only to be hunted to near collapse, scrimshaw no longer is an artform utilizing an easily renewable animal resource, but one that is susceptible to contraband. Now, the Endangered Species Act and international conventions restrict the harvest and sale of ivory to try to reverse the scarcity of ivory-bearing animals.

  • Though there are sources of ivory that are sanctioned and legal, poachers in Africa and other continents where elephants are an endangered species still kill for their ivory, Elephant ivory has been regulated since 1976 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and selling African ivory has been prohibited since 1989.
  • 19th and 20th century scrimshaw, scrimshaw crafted before 1989 (elephant) or before 1973 (sperm whale ivory, walrus ivory etc.) is legal. It is prohibited after that year for commercial import in the U.S. under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
  • Additionally, walrus tusks bearing the Alaska State walrus ivory registration tag, and post-law walrus ivory that has been carved or scrimshawed by a native Alaskan Indian (Eskimo), is legally available.
  • Finally, any ivory considered ancient, such as 10,000 to 40,000 year old mammoth ivory, is completely unrestricted in its sale or possession.

Scrimshanders and collectors acquire legal whale teeth and marine tusks through estate sales, auctions and antiqure dealers. To avoid illegal ivory, collectors and artists check provenance and deal only with other established and reputable dealers. Scrimshaw that is found to have been illegally sourced may be seized by customs officials worldwide, dramatically loses value and is very hard to re-sell, as the limited channels through which collectible scrimshaw passes serves as a check on unscrupulous persons. As with any other fine art form, it is usually possible for experienced museums, auction houses or other experts to perceive a fake.

Saturday, 30 January 2010

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
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