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Scrimshaw is the art of carving an image into bone or ivory. It was practiced by the men working on whaling ships off the New England coast during the 1700's and 1800's. After the whalers had harvested what was needed from the whale, the scrap bone was cleaned and carved. Once the image was carved, the bone was rubbed with the soot of an oil lamp (lamp black). The lamp black stayed in the incised lines of the carving creating dramatic black drawings on the white bone.
The native peoples of the Pacific Northwest, particularly in the arctic region also created scrimshaw. It was created in the same manner as the New England whalers, however, walrus tusks (ivory) was also used.
Scrimshaw images range from traditional sailing ships and sea life to wolves and polar bears. Scrimshaw was created on ivory or bone that was to be used as the handle of a knife or bow. It then became a popular tourist item. Because whales and walruses are endangered, scrimshaw is no longer created on bone or ivory. Tourist areas sell plastic or plaster scrimshaw that is made to look like it was made on a whaling ship. Original scrimshaw is very expensive now, and very rare.
In the art room at MacKinnon Middle School, 7th graders created scrimshaw images on plaster disks that had been coated with shellac. The imaged was scratched through the shellac and then ink was rubbed over the image. The result was a very authentic looking piece of scrimshaw! |
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