s Decorated whale's tooth (scrimshaw), USA, c.1801-1900 - Hull Museums Collections

Decorated whale's tooth (scrimshaw), USA, c.1801-1900

Scrimshaw is folk art by men who hunted whales. It is usually made with whalebone or teeth. Scrimshaw was a way for whalers to express their world, their loneliness and the places they visited.

This tooth depicts a lady in middle eastern costume. Women naturally appear a lot on scrimshaw as men were away for years at a time. This tooth may be a record of new cultures experienced, or it may just have been copied from a book.

One side of this tooth depicts a seated woman in exotic dress, with a band around her head. On the other side is the profile view of a ship, with the Stars and Stripes flag of the US.

Sperm whales were mostly hunted by Americans in the South seas and America. These were much more dangerous than arctic whales and often tried to fight back and defend themselves. Many whaleboats were crushed in their jaws or overturned.

Great sperm whales hold many records. They are the deepest diving mammal, reaching depths of more than 1000m. They are also the largest toothed whale and have the biggest brain in the animal world.

Women naturally appear a lot on scrimshaw but these are usually very respectable images. As most scrimshaw was meant to be seen once back on shore, few erotic images survive. Images from fashion catalogues and books were often copied.

The main reason for making scrimshaw was to kill time and to keep men occupied and out of trouble. To understand scrimshaw it is important to understand the life of whalers.

Sailing, and especially whaling, involved long periods of waiting and doing nothing. Anything that took time and helped to express the world you lived in would have been a welcome hobby.

This tooth is part of a collection that formerly belonged to Kathleen Eleanor Tizard. The collection was donated to Hull Museums by K.E. Tizard’s son in November 1999.