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The Scrimshander's Art

An early 19th century scrimshaw horn for the Royal Navy sloop 'The Serpent' [ big picture ]

If like me readers have been captivated by the broadcasting on Radio 4 of “A History of the World in 100 Objects”, they will remember a brief discussion on a piece of scrimshaw. It was whale’s tooth, engraved with a design of a ship and mermaid that began in the mid 18th century and continued until commercial whaling was banned in 1986.

A late 19th century scrimshaw tooth 'Susan of Nantucket' [ big picture ]
This name, from America, describes etched marine ivory, usually whales teeth, that have been decorated by whalers idling away their time while at sea. As the last whaler leaving European waters left in 1969, this pastime should have died then, but as so many old sea dogs learned how to do it as a boy, many continue the tradition, though rarely on whale’s teeth as most of these bones are ground down and used as fertiliser today.

Inscribed 'John Patterson his horn' and 'Powder and ball will even all' [ big picture ]
It was an art form that reached its heyday during the mid to late 1800s and a true maritime art, engaged by men who had rarely attempted any artistic path in the past. Sifting through whale bones kept from previous journeys, they would etch out designs on the surface using the needles they used to repair their sails, as these huge square riggers were still reliant on nature powered by the wind. Once back in port they would give their handiwork to their family or other loved ones, even barter some with local tavern keepers in exchange for a few drinks, or sold.

A scrimshaw decorated with Britannia [ big picture ]
A maker of scrimshaw is called a scrimshander, and crew, including officers even the captain’s wife, would make not only ornaments but all sorts of keepsakes from boxes, games pieces, embroidery or cooking implements, rolling pins and so on. But the most important piece was a busk, a long piece of whalebone decorated all over with designs and sometimes with a few lines of verse, worn in an undergarment. These were very popular with young ladies and a favourite present from a sailor.

A fine country house adorns this scrimshaw [ big picture ]
Considering an adult sperm whale’s lower jaw held between 40-50 teeth, there was a lot of material to work with on these long voyages. As well as sail needles, other tools needed to shape and smooth the bone were files, jack-knives and chisels, and of course sandpaper, though this could be substituted with sharkskin instead.

'Death of a Sperm Whale' is the caption on this scrimshaw [ big picture ]
Sometimes a scrimshander had his own, special tools made by a cooper. Others made their own, adapting whatever was to hand, like one in 1898 English Jack Tar who reported he’d worked with tools softened in the fire to make a suitably sharp edge. Once the pattern had been finished, the surface would be polished with a cream made of oil and whiting, then brought to a shine with either pumice powder or sailmaker’s wax.

Such an innocent leafy branch on one side, while on the other erotica [ big picture ]
It was an arduous process, and just the sort of task to be completed by machine today, which would leave an irregular shine of course. Consequently the earlier pieces of these marine collectables are far more desirable than later versions, like these examples in a selection I found in Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, Exeter from their forthcoming Maritime sale.

A young woman within a bogace [ big picture ]

Incised to the base 'Lion AD 1867 RN' this is a very desirable powder horn [ big picture ]