Scrimshaw Gallery - William Gilkerson

Matched pair of scrimshaw teeth by William Gilkerson. The first is engraved on the obverse with a depiction of the Jared Coffin House on Nantucket and is entitled "AT HOME AT LAST TO BE". A small dog frolics in the front of the house, and a female figure is in the doorway. The second tooth is en titled "AND RESTLESS FROM ENDLESS SEA" shows the "BARK BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD 1873" flying a house flag and American flag, and a sperm whale marked 90 BBl.

The reverse side of Coffin House tooth has two lovely full figure ladies with parasols, in the style of 1870s Godey's Ladies Magazine illustrations. The reverse side of the Gosnold tooth is engraved with a whaleman in full suit holding a darting gun. The teeth are polychrome and are mounted on a custom oak base with inlaid decorated whale bone border. Both teeth are 6.5-inches tall. These teeth are illustrated on frontis piece pages of the Revised Edition of Gilkerson's book, The Scrimshander.

Pair of scrimshaw teeth by William Gilkerson. The first tooth, 6.25-inches tall, is engraved on the obverse with a bow-on view of the Charles W. Morgan in Arctic waters, and the reverse with a broadside view of the ship. The second tooth, 5.75-inches tall, bears an Arctic whaling scene with a manned whaleboat under full sail, the harpooner ready to strike.  On the reverse is seen a whaleboat being rowed, the boatsteerer at the stern and the mate aiming a whaling shoulder gun. Icebergs in background are highlighted with blue pigment. Both teeth are signed with the monogram "G", and are mounted on a wooden base. The "bow-on" scrimshaw is quite similar to the cover image of Gilkerson's "The Scrimshander" book of his scrimwork.

William Gilkerson website

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