s Decorated walrus tusk (scrimshaw) c.1801-1900 - Hull Museums Collections

Decorated walrus tusk (scrimshaw) c.1801-1900

This scrimshaw shows HMS Acorn chasing a slave ship. In 1807 Britain officially stopped its own role in the slave trade. Britain then used its powerful navy to stop others from trading in slaves as well. Between 1807 and 1866 the Royal Navy captured more than 500 slave ships.

This tusk also depicts an Innuit man in his kayak. Whalers working in the Arctic often had contact with native people. This inspired subject matter and also provided walrus tusks to work on.

This tusk is inscribed “HMS ACORN IN CHASE” and “Esquimaux in his boat.” It is also inscribed “Walruses” and shows three of the creatures.

This walrus tusk is one of a pair, both depicting HMS Acorn. HMS Acorn also appears on another item of scrimshaw in the collection.

HMS Acorn was a 12 gun vessel launched on 15th November 1838. Between 1839 and 1843 she was commanded by Commander John Adams off the west coast of Africa. HMS Acorn was hulked in 1861.

Scrimshaw is the folk art of the whaler. This is usually made with whalebone, teeth or baleen. It can also be made out of walrus tusks like this piece.

The origin of the term “scrimshaw” is not clear and is discussed a lot. In parts of England it was used early on to describe past-times and recreations. When a captain ordered his crew to be “scrimshandering”, he wanted them to be pre-occupied with a creative past-time.

Scrimshaw was at its height in the early 19th century. A lot of scrimshaw is from the US, especially pieces made from the teeth of Sperm Whales.

Other countries, including Britain, also produced scrimshaw. Especially “busks” and items from baleen, mostly originating from the whales in Arctic fisheries.

Items identified with the Hull whaling trade are extremely rare, and occasionally fake. The British trade in whale oil and bone centred around Hull in the early 1600s and the early 1700s. Most surviving scrimshaw is from after these periods.