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Antique Scrimshaw
Created by Douglass | 60 items
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Description:


Technically, the definition of an antique is any man-made item over 100-years of age. My oldest scrimworks are circa 1830 (Whaler's Valentine & Greenhand's First Attempt), and many are near 150-years old. I have noted age of certain pieces, when discernible.

All text & photos within this
Antique Scrimshaw Collection:
© 2007 Douglass Moody

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Douglass's Collections
Antique Scrimshaw
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icon Whaler's Valentine | This 7.12-inch, 18.5-ounce tooth was scribed...
icon Mother in Mourning |

This ante-bellum era (pre-Civil War)...

icon Tent (Yurt?) On Island |

In the pursuit of whales, American...

icon Dressed for a Costume Ball |

An antique polychrome scrimshaw,...

icon Odin |

A faint rendering of a "Jack Tar" (sailor in uniform). ...

icon Airborne | This scrimwork depicts a boat & crew knocked into the...
icon Easter Bonnet & Sunday Best | This dainty scrimshaw depicts a...
icon Victorian Bustle |

This scrimwork is most assuredly copied...

icon EMANCIPATION and THE MONITOR AND THE... | A post-Civil War polychrome...
icon Nantucket Harbor | A hilltop view of the harbor, Sankety...
icon University(?) |

This is a mystery scrimwork. Typical of...

icon Polychrome Victorian portraits | A pair of scribed whale teeth...
icon Victorian Woman, Reading | I speculate that this image is of a...
icon Stipple-Outlined Victorian Lady | The stipple technique (pin-pricks...
icon English Pen & Ink | This is either a finished ink drawing on a...
icon Young English Girl | This English scrimwork depicts a well-dressed...
icon English Dandy | The scrimwork on this little tooth is probably...
icon Polynesian Wahine | The morals, beliefs, activities, and...
icon Horse & Rider | Not all scrimshanders are artists, nor have good...
icon Stippled Lady in Shoes |

This image is probably stipple-copied...

icon Greenhand's first attempt |

After months of shaving &...

icon Home Port |

Many scrimshanders were NOT artistic, but just...

icon (Ship) Dragon 1852 | The whaling ship Dragon of New Bedford sailed...
icon Massacre at Fort Pillow | This is an authentic scrimshaw on a...
icon Monogramed Ivory brush (top) | This elephant ivory brush is...
icon 8-inch Ivory Fid |

This 3-section decorative fid emulates a...

icon Bone spoon | Whalers made their own utinsels from bone & ivory.
icon Painted Busk | The painted images are definitely of oriental design...
icon Ten Tatting Bodkins |

Bodkins are usually 2.5- to 3.5-inches...

icon Ivory back scratcher | This 1.75-inch x 1.5-inch carved ivory hand...
icon Antique Inuit walrus tusk | This outer-curve side of a...
icon Whale Tooth Handle on Brass... |

The lens is 4-inches...

icon Whalebone clothes pins | Hand-carved aboard ship for mothers,...
icon Ivory & bone double-block | Constructed of bone & ivory sections,...
icon Hinged baleen picture frame | Each oval is 3.62-inch x 2.87-inch. ...
icon Antique Scrimshawed Billiard Ball | A scribed ivory billard ball,...
icon Shaving brush | Lathe-turned ivory handle with bristles of horse or...
icon Clothing brush |

This brush is made of a 4.5-inch,...

icon Sailmaker's seam roller | Wheel made of walrus ivory, this device...
icon Sailor-made Scrimshaw scribe | This is a Victorian-era,...
icon Glove stretcher | Ivory glove stretcher, used to return leather...
icon Pie crimper: snake design | This pie crimper design is called a...
icon Letter Opener, Page Turner and Busk |

The ivory letter opener...

icon Nude (Sailor's Dream) | Most scrimshanders were NOT artistic, but a...
icon Federal Emblem & "Fouled Anchor"... |

The obverse side of this...

icon 12.75-inch Scrimshawed Busk | Victorian-era women's dresses...
icon English Busk or Letter Opener |

This ivory (no vascular grain)...

icon 13-inch Whalebone Fid |

Fids are usually 5-inches to 12-inches...

icon Steel Ink Eraser (Dried Ink Scraper) |

Early 19th Century dried...

icon A Lathe-turned & Carved Dried Ink... |

This is most likely...

icon Scrimshawed & Painted Dried-Ink... |

This Victorian-era "ink...

icon Victorian-era Ivory-handled Steel... |

Ivory was preferred as...

icon Fijian Tabua |

A “Tabua” (pronounced tam-boo-uh) is a...

icon Ivory-handled water-dipper | Freshwater was precious aboard a...
icon Coconut tea strainer | Before the teabag, boiling water was poured...
icon Scrimshawed Wooden Cup | Scrimshawed wooden cup is 93-mm (3.63-in)...
icon Whale Bone Jagging Wheel |

Jagging wheels are also called pie...

icon (Ship) James Baine - Black Ball Line... |

On September 12, 1854,...

icon Watch Over Us |

This scrimshaw was scribed by an English...

4 Comments for this collection Add a Comment >
peter says:
SUPER, This is one of the best collection on squirl, must be very costly.
- Posted on 9/9/2007 4:19pm
itactics says:
You have a fascinating and impressive collection! You are obviously quite passionate about it, much like I am about my 'objects de art'!
- Posted on 6/23/2007 3:41am
Douglass says:
Kristy,

I will be adding several close-up photos & scans of personally-owned scrimshaw to my SQUIRL collection page. I think you will enjoy seeing our independent Scrimshaw Collector's website at www.ScrimshawCollectors.com.

More later,

Douglass
Long Beach CA
- Posted on 10/19/2006 7:08pm
kristy says:
these displays are beautiful! i'd love to see close-ups of the individual pieces. having lived on cape cod for several years, i have an affection for scrimshaw and whaling history.
- Posted on 10/19/2006 1:13pm

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