Whale's Tooth

Whale's Tooth, "Rounding Cape Horn," 19th century
Unidentified artist
IS 67

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At best, whalers suffered from the most appalling working conditions of any commercial enterprise that operated at sea. Onboard the whaleship, sailors often experienced long periods of time where there was little work to do. Many took advantage of that time to carve images on the whale's teeth—one of the very few parts of the whale considered commercially insignificant.

Ships and voyages were common themes depicted on whale's teeth. This tooth shows a ship in stormy seas off of Cape Horn. It may reflect a specific passage the carver actually made, or one he had heard about.

 

For more information, e-mail collections@MarinersMuseum.org.

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