The Art of Scrimshaw by Nancy J. Farrier

National Museum of American History

From accounts I’ve read the art of scrimshaw began on whaling vessels. Fishermen would spend months at sea, often with little to do. Whaling could only be done during daylight, so the sailors had hours of time on their hands. They had an abundance of bone and teeth from the whale, so they carved designs, or made useful objects to take home to their wives, mothers or a sweetheart. The men who did the scrimshaw were called scrimshanders.

 

Sailors used the teeth of sperm whales, bones of other whales, or the tusks of the walrus to make their carvings. A crude sailing needle was used to etch the design. Often, soot, tobacco juice or candle black would be used to bring out the design. The quality and detail of the artwork depended not only on the skill of the artisan, but also on the weather and the seas. Imagine trying to scratch tiny lines into a hard surface when the floor is moving. That must have been difficult to do.

 

National Museum of American History
Sperm Whale Tooth

Scenes of home life, sailing scenes and pictures of sweethearts from back home were popular to use in scrimshaw. From masted ships to breeching whales the art of the scrimshanders captured the imagination of people everywhere. 

 

There were many useful objects carved or fashioned by scrimshanders. Many of these can be found on the website of the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art if you type in scrimshaw to their search engine. They include wonderful detail on each item that is fascinating to read.

 

Pan Bone
National Museum of American History

One of the bones used would have been the pan bone, or jaw bone of the whale. An
oval section of bone would have been cut from the jawbone, sliced thin and polished prior to adding a design. In the picture is such a pan bone, although it is unusual in that the scrimshander included the date and detail information. This scene depicts the harpooned whale diving and dragging the boat down with him. Most fishermen did not know how to swim, so this would mean death for them, especially in the cold waters of the north. In this scene, with the other boats in close proximity, the sailors would have had a good chance of survival.

 

Here are some of the various items made by scrimshanders:

 

National Museum of American History

Candle Lantern: This lantern was designed to hold a single candle. The materials are bone and copper. There are holes in the bottom for draft purposes, and you can see the stub of a candle in the holder. The copper is etched as are the four pieces of bone that make up the top of the lantern. Each piece of bone has a different scrimshaw. One is a ship, one the date of 1859, one the scrimshander’s name – John Denton, and the last is the inscription – Happy is he who findeth light. From the lack of soot inside the lantern it is obvious this piece was prized and rarely used.

 

National Museum of American History

Pie Crimper: Men loved to make useful items to bring home to their wives, mothers or sweethearts. Pie crimpers were very useful and showed the man had been thinking of them on the long voyage. The edge of the pie crimper would run around the outside of the pie and seal the edges together. They were made in many different shapes. The one I have here is in the shape of a mythical hippocamp – half horse, half fish.

 

National Museum of American History

Corset Busk: Another popular item to take home was the corset busk. Many women wore corsets to make their waists smaller. The scrimshander would make the busk from the bone or baleen of a whale. This would have been a very intimate scrimshaw item, which the wife would use to stiffen the corset, and also served as a way to keep her husband close when he would be gone for long periods of time.

 

National Museum of American History

Watch Stand: Most scrimshaw was done with women in mind, however this watch stand must have been made for a man. This piece has a hollowed place to put a man’s pocket watch, but is unfinished. You can also see that patriotic carvings were popular.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about scrimshaw. It’s hard for me to imagine being on a ship for months at a time, but if I had to do that I would enjoy doing some sort of handcraft to pass the time. Have you ever seen, or do you have, any scrimshaw? 

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.