Perhaps no other field within nautical antique collecting is more misunderstood or beset with bogus examples than is the collectible known as "scrimshaw." There are 3 primary reasons for this:
1. Ignorance or lack of experience on the part of the collector,
2. A surging market demand for the real thing which has driven prices into 5 figures for desirable examples, and
3. The relative ease by which fakes and forgeries are dumped into the marketplace resulting in market saturation.
It is our purpose here to aid the collector and potential buyer of scrimshaw, so that he/she is aware of what the genuine article is and the pitfalls associated with buying it.
To a large part of the general population the term "scrimshaw" has no meaning. To a small sector it evokes the concept of ivory, bone, plastic, and other such surfaces being decorated with engraved pictographs which are filled with a pigment, resulting in an artistic scene. But this is only the tip of the iceberg.
In reality the true definition of scrimshaw is: The art of carving or otherwise constructing decorative, often useful, objects as done by whale men, sailors, and seafarers during the age of whaling. The basic materials were those derived from whaling: products of the whale, but also shells, various forms of sea life, the wide range of materials gathered in ports-of-call, and the materials normally carried aboard whaling ships including metals and woods. The artifact thus formed must have one or more clear nautical association(s) with respect to the maker, motif, method, or material to render it "authentic scrimshaw."
Why is this definition so important? Because it clearly indicates what scrimshaw is and what it is not. For the most part scrimshaw was done in the 19th C., although 18th and certainly 20th C. examples are extant. Perhaps the most important aspect of the definition is that it specifies that only the "scrimshaw" done by whale men, sailors and seafarers during the whaling era is real. What about all the rest? Well they may be pretty, they may be art, they may contain authentic materials, and they may have value. But they are NOT scrimshaw!
For many "in the know" about scrimshaw, the term evokes the image of an engraved whale's tooth. The whale's tooth has come to be the representative "icon" of scrimshaw. Recent auction results also testify to its being the most prized and valuable to collectors.
But certainly there are many other forms of scrimshaw in addition to teeth. These include pie crimpers (jagging wheels), busks (corset stays), fids, bodkins, pipes, seam rubbers, ditty boxes, swifts (yarn winders), watch holders, rolling pins, jewelry, children's toys, games, picture frames, candle stick holders, needle cases, knives, tools, eating utensils, walking sticks, baskets, ship's pulleys (blocks), dippers, clothespins, sewing devices, etc., etc.
While the list may seem extensive, and the output varied, there was, to a degree, a certain continuity in the whalemen's production of scrimshaw. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but it can be said with a fair degree of certainty that most whalemen found a form of scrimshaw in which they were proficient and stuck to it. Frequently a certain "hand" can be identified as having produced an object. Accordingly, it is not uncommon for those of us who deal in scrimshaw on a daily basis to come across nearly identical examples from diverse sources. In our own experience for example, we have sold pie crimpers and swifts that were exactly, or near enough so, like those exhibited in museums.
The following depict good examples of genuine scrimshaw. It is important to recognize that all of these varied examples are properly labeled as being "scrimshaw:"
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A superb example of a late 18th or very early 19th C. scrimshawed busk, or lady's corset stay. The earliest busks were of wood, sometimes chip carved. Later busks were made of panbone or baleen, and were frequently profusely engraved ("scrimshawed"). This transitional example features a wooden backing which has been overlaid with an exquisitely reticulated panbone facing which is riveted together. Note the recurring star, heart, and diamond motifs -- a favorite amongst sailors. |
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A typical example of a 19th century whaleman-produced inlaid scrimshaw box, using the materials available: tropical wood, whalebone, abalone shell, and whale tooth. Again, note the stars and hearts. |
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A view showing the interior of the scrimshaw box. Note the very unusual whalebone folding lid support stays. |
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Important boxed scrimshaw swift made by Captain Henry Dagget of the whaleship MALTA. Captain Dagget was an accomplished scrimshander who was especially fond of making swifts. At least 7 swifts by his hand are known -- this one and the example in Mystic Seaport Museum being the best. 19th C. whalemen proved to be good artisans, but in general, their creativity and subject matter was limited to certain "accepted" formats which they embellished with their own creative "styles." In Captain Dagget's case, most of his scrimshaw was presented to his wife Mary, often with the initials "M.A.D." Tied with certain other "signature" aspects of his work, his scrimshaw output was uniquely identifiable. |
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A very interesting Oriental twist on the "Western art form" of scrimshaw. Here is an obviously Japanese-painted sperm whale's tooth. It is well known that the Japanese were/are whalers in modern times. This example affirms that the Eastern cultures also prized whale's teeth. The painting is done over a clay base giving a slight bas-relief effect to the scrimshaw. Painted scrimshaw by western hands is extremely scarce, but some examples do exist. |
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One of the finest examples of scrimshaw ever produced -- that of the "Ship John Coggeshall of Newport" done by Albro (Thomas and/or Caleb) during one of three whaling voyages to the Pacific whaling grounds from 1835-1847. Identified scrimshaw is rare, and this superb example has all of the "bells and whistles!" Note the subtle use of red "polychroming." If scrimshawed whale's teeth are most valued by collectors, then this example would rate as an "ultimate find," easily commanding well into 5 figures. |
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The reverse of the Albro tooth boldly depicting a mariner's quadrant above the legend "LONGITUDE." Below, Neptune and Father Time guard a chronometer. The legend at the bottom reads "Neptune with his Attendance (sic)." Note the sharp age crack in evidence on both sides of the tooth, and the uneven patina -- good signs of authenticity. |
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Chronometer rating sheet of "Demilt's Astronomical Observatory, New York" bearing a scene with an uncanny similarity to that on Albro's scrimshawed tooth. The rating sheet is dated 1841, right around the time that the Albro brothers were a whaling. Thomas Albro served as steward aboard the whaleship John Coggeshall during its 1835-1839 voyage to the Pacific. This meant that his work station was in the officers' quarters, placing him in daily proximity to the ship's chronometer. While Albro certainly took artistic liberty in depicting his version of the "Longitude," there can be no doubt that Demilt's engraving was his inspiration. This again lends credence to the observation that whalemen were good copy artists, but generally lacked much originality. |
FOR GENUINE SCRIMSHAW ON SALE NOW,
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For further reading on the topic see:
1. Walter Earle, "Scrimshaw Folk Art of the Whalers," 1957, Whaling
Museum Society, Inc., Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
2. Norman E. Flayderman, "Scrimshaw and Scrimshanders, Whales and
Whalemen," 1972, N. Flayderman & Co., Inc., New Milford, CT.
3. Stuart M. Frank, Ph.D., "Fakeshaw: A Checklist of Plastic
Scrimshaw," 1993, The Kendall Whaling Museum, Sharon, MA.
4. Michael McManus, "A Treasury of American Scrimshaw, A collection
of the Useful and Decorative," 1997. Penguin Books, NY.
