The Art of Scrimshaw by Nancy J. Farrier

The Art of Scrimshaw by Nancy J. Farrier

National Museum of American HistoryFrom accounts I’ve read the art of scrimshaw began on whaling vessels. Fishermen would spend months at sea, often with little to do. Whaling could only be done during daylight, so the sailors had hours of time on their hands. They had an abundance of bone and teeth from the whale, so they carved designs, or made useful objects to take home to their wives, mothers or a sweetheart. The men who did the scrimshaw w…