ABOUT SCRIMSHAW

The origins of scrimshaw can be traced back thousands of years but for the interest of modern day scrimshaw I'll begin the timeline in the 1800's when whaling vessels embarked on their voyages from New England seaports like Nantucket and New Bedford.

The sailors of those days led a very rugged and lonely life, putting to sea for a year or two and as much as three to five years in some instances. Most willingly signed on while others were, shall we say, conscripted. A knowledgeable captain who had studied the whales’ habits knew their migratory patterns and could follow them through the different seasons and thus improve his catch. This meant more return trips to the markets with whale oil and meat and, of course, higher profits for the shipping company's coffers — not to mention his own purse.

The sailor received his monthly pay and that was that. A love of the ocean, traveling to far away ports, experiencing exotic lands and people, and the freedom that sailing represented was the sailor’s motivation for going to sea. By today’s standards the meager stipend he received for his work was hardly enough to warrant living the hard life he lived. He worked long hours performing the myriad duties aboard ship - scrubbing the salt off of the decks, mending sails, maintaining the rigging, and all of those tasks the captain set forth for his crew. He kept the harpoons sharp and the longboats in good working order so they would be ready at a moment’s notice when the cry would ring out, “There she blows.”

After a successful whale hunt and the different parts of the whale had been processed and stored away in the hold, some sailors would spend their spare time scrimshawing. According to one source scrimshaw is defined as “wasting time.” So, these “time wasters” would apply their talents to what was naturally at hand – a whale's tooth. Although they sometimes used whale bone, the tooth was the sailor’s choice because of its size and relative ease of preparation. He often smoothed and polished the surface of the tooth with a piece of rough shark skin he carried with him. Then using his knife or darning needle (the same one used for mending the sails) he would scribe or etch a scene into the surface. By rubbing tobacco juice or lamp black into the scratches, he could highlight the scene. Many times he would depict the voyage he was on by scrimshawing a picture of the ship and the hunt, naming the ship and perhaps adding a picture of a loved one from back home. Often times he would carve the tooth or bone into figurines or objects such as pie crimpers, salt & pepper shakers, eating utensils, and boxes. And sometimes he would make corset stays, riding crops, or canes out of the baleen of the right whale.

This is a simple overview of the origins of scrimshaw as we know it today. There were other cultures and peoples who had practiced this art form hundreds of years prior to the whalers of the 1800’s. There is anecdotal evidence that the art form originated in China while other references attribute it to indigenous tribes of North America. Some even trace as far back as prehistoric man by virtue of bone artifacts found with etchings on them. Wherever it originated it is a wonderful art form that has survived and become very popular in recent years.

~ Ed Weber