scrimshaw

     

Scrimshaw is the name given to haniwork created by whalers made from the byproducts of harvesting marine mammals. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of Sperm Whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses. It takes the form of elaborate carvings in the form of pictures and lettering on the surface of the bone or tooth, with the engravings highlighted using a pigment, or small sculptures made from the same material. The making of scrimshaw began on whaling ships between 1817 to 1824 on the Pacific Ocean, and survived until the ban on commercial whaling. The practice survives as a hobby and as a trade for commercial artisans. A maker of scrimshaw is known as a scrimshander. Scrimshaw is also a surname.

Trivia about scrimshaw

  • This art of sculpting with whale bone was popular in the 1820s
  • The novel "Moby-Dick" calls this decorative art "skrimshander"
  • It's the term for bone or ivory objects once carved by sailors and often decorated with whaling scenes
  • Whalers used to pass the time at sea by carving designs on whale bone & teeth in an art form called this
  • Developed by sailors to pass the time, it's the art of carving on whalebone or ivory
  • It's the old art of carving on whalebone or walrus tusks