As part of our celebration of Nantucket By Design, we are pleased to highlight scrimshaw: one of the earliest recognized American crafts and one of the most highly desired forms of folk art for collectors of Americana. The scrimshaw in the collection of the Nantucket Historical Association is the result of over a century and a half of passionate collecting.
Enjoy this close look into our archives and also see how designers use this unique form of art as “visual history."
|
|
Next in our series of impressions of our island, we feature
The Little Grey Lady of the Sea
, a film produced in the 1940s by Nantucket summer residents Edward Wells Beach and Edith Todd Beach for the Rotary Club. Narrated by Jacqueline Killen, it presents Nantucket through a charming historical pastiche.
|
|
Watch a LIVE presentation
|
|
TONIGHT! June 23, at 5pm, FREE
Join us, with or without a mug of grog, to learn more about this unique shipboard art and to get an up-close look at the highlights of the NHA’s extensive scrimshaw collection of over 1,400 pieces.
|
|
Scrimshaw by Nantucketers
|
|
The scrimshaw collection of the NHA is unique among major collections because so many of our works relate to this special place. Meet the Collection strolls through our catalog of whale's teeth decorated by Nantucketers. Aficionados will be familiar with Burdett and Myrick, Nantucketers both, but what about Starbuck, Coffin, and Chinery? Take a look! Hosted by Nantucket Historical Association Curator Dan Elias.
|
|
Oral History of A Nantucket Scrimshander
|
|
Aletha Macy holding a whalebone specimen outside her shop, Ivory of the Sea. Photographer unknown. 25.4 x 17.8 cm. Gift of Mrs. Doris M. Kynett,
P9495.
|
|
Scrimshander Aletha Macy carved the ivory of whales and elephants into the shape of animals, fish, and maps to adorn Nantucket Lightship Baskets made by Mr. Jose Reyes. In an interview conducted in 1958 by Henry Coffin Carlisle at his home at 75 Main Street, Macy discusses her apprenticeship with a furniture maker, scrimshandy, her favorite works, and her shop, depicted here, Ivory of the Sea.
|
|
Modern Take on Scrimshaw: Murals
|
|
By Nantucket's own Audrey Sterk Designs
|
|
The mural image brings a great sense of depth and introduces a visual history to a residential space. These scenes depict the history of Nantucket, especially the whaling industry as shown. The colors and textures within the work can direct the design/decorative choices in a space. They create a detailed depiction of the imagery often seen on scrimshaw: whales, ships, the ocean, and more.
|
|
Design and Decorative Application Ideas: Mural Wallpaper or Painting
provided by Kean University, Michael Graves College, Interior Design Students
|
|
|
|
Historic Nantucket
Winter 2005, Vol. 54, No. 1
|
Featuring “A Treasure Found: Computer Technology Leads to Nantucket Scrimshaw Discovery,” by William J. Boylhart. pg. 5
The author unearths a rare scrimshaw plaque, ca. 1832, by Edward Burdett, America’s first master scrimshaw artist, unidentified and hidden in the NHA collections.
|
|
|
|
Modern Take on Scrimshaw Display
|
|
Stunning Impact by Nantucket Resident Trudy Dujardin
|
|
An extremely rare 19th-century English scrimshaw tortoiseshell is displayed above the fireplace. A focal point, centered over the mantle, reflecting the light sources in this residential space. The sheen finish effectively highlights the images of the whale industry, including ships, whale hunting equipment and tools, and whales themselves. The natural symmetry of the tortoiseshell brings value and a sense of organized complexity to the work. A true depiction of whaling history in an unconventional form.
Terry Pommett Photography
|
|
1800 House
The Art of Scrimshaw
|
|
Mary Lacoursiere, NHA Peter M. and Bonnie J. Sacerdote Chair of Education and Community Relations, describes the traditional process of creating scrimshaw and how it is done today.
|
|
|
Inspired by the art of scrimshaw, Mary Lacoursiere designed and created the bar top at Nantucket’s Oran Mor Bistro.
|
|
Design and Decorative Application Ideas: Maps of the Sea
provided by Kean University, Michael Graves College, Interior Design Students
|
|
Thank you to our Kean University summer interns for sketches and “modern take” research.
|
|
|
|
Scrimshaw on Nantucket
By Dr. Stuart M. Frank
Dr. Frank is one of the world’s foremost scholars on scrimshaw. This beautiful hardcover edition features more than 800 scrimshaw artifacts from the NHA’s world-class collection, newly photographed in stunning detail by island photographer Jeff Allen.
Reproduction Scrimshaw
Browse our selection of reproduction scrimshaw etched on non-endangered species resin. Featuring reproductions of Frederick Myrick’s Susan’s teeth.
|
|
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
|
|
For more information about Nantucket by Design, please contact:
Director of Corporate Development
Stacey W. Stuart
508-228-1894, ext. 130
Follow us! @NantucketbyDesign #NantucketbyDesign
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
