Pick

ClassificationsTools and Equipment-picks

Date19th Century

Made AtNorth America

MediumSperm whale ivory and metal

Dimensions1 3/4 x 5/16 x 1/8 in. (4.4 x 0.8 x 0.3 cm)

Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Burton W. Fink

Object number2011.25.88.1

DescriptionThe leftmost pick in this set of three picks from the 19th century is made of sperm whale ivory and are each in the shape of an arm with thumb and forefinger on hand pinched together. Each hand holds a black stick. This leftmost pick has no blade, black stripes and dots patterned. 19th Century New England whalers used whale teeth and bones to create art. Scrimshaw was shaped into every form imaginable to the mind of sailors, but carvings on the high seas often relied on source materials available on ships

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