Pair of sperm whale teeth with portraits of women
Scrimshaw Collection in Warren, Rhode Island
Attendees of the 2009 Scrimshaw Collectors’ Weekend at the New Bedford Whaling Museum participated in a field trip to the Charles Whipple Greene Museum located in Warren, Rhode Island, to view the museum’s collection of scrimshaw. Although the collection is small, there are a number of very fine examples of mid-19th-century scrimshaw.
The whaling industry was economically important in the state of Rhode Island in the 19th century, and the town of Warren boasted the largest fleet. From 1821 to 1861, 49 different vessels sailed out of Warren on whaling voyages.
See complete set of photos below …
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- Pair of sperm whale teeth with portraits of women
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- Tooth with woman posed with birds and fruit
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- Reverse—whaling bark South America of Providence and New Bedford
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- Tooth with woman and harp
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- Reverse—woman with bonnet and pillared building
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- Adam, Eve and the serpent whale tooth
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- Reverse of Adam and Eve tooth
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- New York Harbor whale tooth
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- Reverse – New York Harbor whale tooth
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- New York tooth detail
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- New York tooth detail
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- New York tooth detail
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- New York tooth detail
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- Whale bone busk, ships sailing into harbor
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- Busk detail
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- Busk detail
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- Busk detail
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- Whale tooth—woman holding child
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- Jagging wheel of whale ivory
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- Tooth by Dwight Clifford Stocking, of bark Camilla, New Bedford
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- Knife with whale ivory handle
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- Whale bone rule—inscribed: 1771 Nathanel Wetherel September 13
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- 1771 NATHANEL . . .
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- . . . WETHEREL . . .
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- . . . HIS RULE
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- Reverse of whale bone rule
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- SEPTEMBER . . .
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- . . .
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- . . . 13
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- Tooth with portrait of a woman
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- Reverse of portrait tooth, “Obscure Beauty”
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- Tooth with village scene, “Bishop McKendree”
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- Reverse of McKendree tooth, “Dapper Peer”
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Hi Everybody
For members living outside of the States (Ausralia in my case) this is a great initative allowing us to see some of the weekend highlights as well as keeping up with what is happening at the museum.
Regards
Trevor & Gabrielle Cross
By: Trevor Cross on June 27, 2009
at 5:27 am
I HAVE AWHALES TOOTH,6INCHES LONG WITH A PORTRAIT OF A MAN NAMED WARREN ON IT,ALONG WITH A MR. ELLSWORTH ON ONE SIDE.ON THE OTHER SIDE DEPICTS A SHIP CALLED SUDSBURY WITH AMERICA FLAGS.DATED 1820
By: RICHARD LOZIER on July 12, 2009
at 9:58 pm
Richard,
Your scrimshaw sounds interesting. High-resolution, close-up JPG photos or JPG scans of your tooth would be most helpful before opinions could be offered.
Please consider e-mailing JPGs to the NBWM, and also to me at ScrimCollector@aol.com.
Douglass Moody
Member, NBWM
By: Douglass Moody on July 13, 2009
at 9:17 pm
Richard, I have an identically same tooth, Warren, Ellesworth, etc Did you ever get any confirmation on yours? Jim
By: jim ciletti on December 14, 2010
at 3:26 pm
Jim & Richard,
Your identical items are mass-produced resin reproductions known as fakeshaw. Tens of thousands of these reproductions are in existence, although “Ship Sudbury” was not as popular (fewer mase) than other repros.
Douglass Moody
Member, NBWM
By: Douglass Moody on December 15, 2010
at 1:46 am
I also have a tooth with Ship Sudsbury 1820 with Warren and Ellsworth how can you tell if it is resin or tooth?
Thank you,
William
By: William Stockwell on January 8, 2011
at 4:15 am
Your Sudsbury item is a mass-produced, resin facsimile (fakeshaw) of a scrimshawed whale tooth. Thousands of reproductions exist, but NO original scrimshawed whale tooth exists, as the original pattern was designed by John Adams, Cheif Moldmaker for the Juratone Company in the 1970s.
By: Douglass Moody on January 8, 2011
at 7:54 pm
I have a scrimshaw, 6 inches long with river steamboat scene on one side and and a scene with an African American family on a rooftop in a flood on the other. There is writing on the log on one side, but I can’t make out what it says. It has been examined by a Maritime museum here in Australia and has been determined to be authentic. Does you know of it’s history or value?
By: barry sanders on January 30, 2010
at 12:05 pm
Richard – WITHOUT ANY DOUBT, your item is a resin “reproduction”, known among collectors as “Fakeshaw”. In your case, the term reproduction only means mass-produced, as no original scrimshaw was copied. The designs were created by the Juratone cheif mold-maker John Adams, most likely copied from printed material.
Cite this source by Stuart M. Frank, Curator of the Kendall Collection, New Bedford Whaling Museum. (See: http://www.whalingmuseum.org/library/index_KI.html) Fakeshaw: A Checklist of Plastic Scrimshaw. Kendall Whaling Museum Monograph Series, Nº1, 1988, 3rd Revised Edition, 11 illus., 300 items, ©2001.
Page 10
#38a
GREAT FLOOD (Plantation Scene) Tooth, 8-in (20.3-cm).
Juratone 124 TH. NO TEXT
Obv: Nine black men, women, and children standing and sitting on a rooftop, with two men fending off floating debris, surrounded by flood waters and drooping trees. Rev: Swollen river waters; small boat with three passengers in foreground, farmhouse on bank, stern-wheeler steamboat in center.
#38b
GREAT FLOOD (Plantation Scene) Tooth, 5.5-in (14-cm)
Grooveport SJ29.
By: Douglass Moody on January 30, 2010
at 7:40 pm
Richard – An illustrated article to help you discern authentic from fake: http://www.scrimshawcollectors.com/AuthenticFakeshaw1.html
Douglass
By: Douglass Moody on January 30, 2010
at 7:47 pm
Hi – I have a small carved white horse that appears to be carved from ivory or bone and it is in a rearing position with a black wood base. It has a sideways “8″ on its side in a lighter shade – is this a trademark – have you seen something like this before? Any help would be appreciated. Horse is 3 1/4″ tall and base is 3 1/2″ long by 1 1/2″ high. Thanks
By: Charolette McDonald on February 17, 2010
at 2:50 pm
My name is Brittany Pipitone, I have two pieces of scrimshaw I am looking to sell. The first is over 900 years old, it was carved as an ice axe out of a walrus tusk, then someone painted a ship and some dolphins on it. The artist is Salman Rashioi and the base is rosewood. This piece of scrimshaw is 11.5″ long, and 17.82 oz.
The second piece is a whale’s tooth, and the front has an eagle’s head painted on it by the famous artist M. Stothart, it is 4.25″ long and 3.70 in., also another great piece. Let me know if you have any more questions, want pictures, or are interested or know anyone interested in either piece. Thanks for your time!!!
By: Brittany Pipitone on May 4, 2010
at 1:35 am
Brittany,
Both of your scrimshaw pieces are by living, contemporary artists. You can find examples of both scrimshanders on the scrimshaw collectors’ website:
http://www.scrimshawcollectors.com/GalleryStothart
http://www.scrimshawcollectors.com/GalleryRashidi.html
Both artists are fairly prolific, and their scrimwork can be found for sale on several scrimshaw store websites, and their own. Your best bet is to GOOGLE search to find such websites.
Douglass Moody
Long Beach CA
By: Douglass Moody on June 30, 2010
at 6:14 pm
Dear Richard and Jim
Would you know anything about a ‘horn’ beaker, with a ship and obscured lettering on one side, and an old captain type gentleman on the other with ‘Dapper Peer’ on the other? The man side is almost identical to the McKendre tooth illustrated above as belonging to the Rhode Museum. The horn belongs to a friend of mine who would dearly like to know more about it. Many thanks for any information you can provide.
Kath Hunneysett
By: Kath Hunneysett on April 25, 2011
at 8:12 am
i have a whales tooth that measures 6.5″ long and around the middle also measures approx.6.5″. on one side is a piture of a ship with the name mereator.on the reverse side has a piture of partley naked lady holding a harp on her right side.at the bottom below her feet there is a small date that reads 1861.do any one know what i have. thank you.
By: bobby harrison on November 21, 2011
at 3:09 am
i have a whales tooth.on one side has a picture of a ship with the name mereator on it.on the back side has a picture of a partly naked lady holding a harp on her right side.at the bottom of her feet has a small date 1861. do anybody have an idea of what i have.thank you.
By: bobby harrison on November 21, 2011
at 3:13 am