Nautical Art: Scrimshanders and their Scrimshaws

At the height of the whaling industry during the 18^th and 19^th centuries, the art of producing scrimshaw became prominent among whalermen and sailors. Simply put, scrimshaw “is the art of carving on ivory, bone, woods and shells.” [1] Some experts believe that any piece produced after 1900 is no longer considered a scrimshaw or, more narrowly, that a piece is only considered a scrimshaw if produced by whalermen. Others believe that a scrimshaw just needs to “have a nautical association in respect to one or more of the following: maker, motif, method, or materials.” [2] This art form is by no means exclusive to this time period, nor is it exclusive to whalermen and sailors. In fact, these whalermen brought this art form to the west coast where the Eskimos were exposed to the new technique. The Eskimos have a long history of using walrus ivory which they then combined with these new scrimshaw techniques. Scrimshanders, or the makers of scrimshaw pieces, still practice this art form today.

Modern laws on ivory trading and the protection of marine life, along with increasing numbers of counterfeits, make it even rarer for one to come into possession of an authentic scrimshaw. With this in mind, the San Diego Maritime Museum has been fortunate to receive a donation of an extensive scrimshaw collection from the Norman C. and Jeanne M. Bunker Trust. Mr. Norman C. Bunker is a dentist in California with an interest in collecting scrimshaws. This collection consists of 47 pieces of scrimshaw in excellent condition. Although all the pieces of the collection are outstanding, a few notable pieces stand out.

HMS Victory
by William Gilkerson

The first, and most valuable, piece of this collection is the HMS Victory created by William Gilkerson, a famous scrimshander. This piece of  whale ivory measures seven inches in length and three inches wide. The front of the scrimshaw was first created with the image of the front (or bow) of the HMS Victory. It was then placed into an exhibit at the San Francisco Maritime Museum, at which Mr. Bunker purchased it. Mr. Bunker later commissioned Gilkerson to complete the backside of the scrimshaw with the image of the rear (or stern) of the HMS Victory. Further, this scrimshaw comes along with a wooden stand that was made from a piece of the original pasture oak removed from the lower hold of the ship during repairs in 1953.

Eskimo on walrus ivory

The next piece is a good example of how the Eskimos have been influenced by the art of scrimshaw. This piece was made with walrus ivory and measures five and a half inches in length and two and a half inches wide. The technique used is similar to most of the other pieces in this collection while the image is distinctly Eskimo.

Metal picks with a
different whale on each handle

A remarkable set of six metal picks with bone handles is a great example of how scrimshaw does not only consist of whole pieces of whale ivory or bones, but are sometimes made into more creative pieces. These metal picks are relatively small in size, measuring around 5 inches in length and half an inch wide. This small size makes the intricate carvings all the more impressive. On each of the six bone handles, an image of a whale is carved onto one side, with different whaling tools carved onto the other. The images of the whales include (from left to right): a sperm whale, a humpback whale, a killer whale, a right whale, a blue whale, and a sulphur bottom whale.

Dagger with reindeer scene

Another more creative piece of scrimshaw in this collection is the dagger with a handle made of whale bone that comes in a dagger sheath also made of whale bone. This piece measures around 8 and a half inches in length and 1 inch wide. On both parts of this beautiful piece, scenes with reindeers are carved onto the bone.

One of two scrimshaws made
with the dotting technique

Lastly, a distinct pair of scrimshaw, possibly dating back to the period of the Godey Lady, stands out because of the technique used to carve the image onto the whale ivory. Both pieces measure around 6 inches in length and 2 inches wide. Normally, the scrimshander would connect the dots or directly carve lines onto the ivory. The images on both pieces are clearly seen to have been outlined by dots and left as is. They were then filled in with some color. Of all 47 pieces in this collection, only these two pieces were produced with this technique.

While the whalermen and sailors of the 18^th and 19^th centuries viewed the art of scrimshaw as a way to pass time out in the open sea, modern scrimshanders today view this art form as a way to respect the sea and to keep this great tradition alive. Karl Kortum, the Director of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, said it best: “The old scrimshaw was an escape from the sea – from too much sea – back towards the land. The new scrimshaw moves in the other direction.” [3]    

Entry prepared by Samantha Chu, Collections Intern.

Ferryboat Berkeley Notices

The maritime museum itself is set up inside the Berkeley. There are numerous exhibits on the different areas of maritime history and fishing in the southern California area.

Crew Schedule

What some people might forget is that this boat was a working ferry at one point in history. She served for 60 years in the San Francisco Bay area. She was the first successful propeller driven ferryboat on the West Coast, and she also helped to rescue victims from the San Francisco earthquake fire in 1906. She steamed between Oakland and San Francisco on a normal basis. The Berkeley was purchased by the museum in 1972.

The archive room sits in the back of the library, full of historical documents about the submarines and boats that are here at the museum. We are working on replacing some of the notices in the pilot house of the Berkeley and came across some interesting documents from the steam days of this boat.

First Class Ticket

There are multiple engineer records, passenger logs, and notices sent out from the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Each document is a look into the past of this boat. 

This is a first class ticket for the ferryboat leaving from San Francisco on July 29, 1958. This happened to be one of the last voyages the ferryboat would make. The cost was $100. 

Some of the notices went into detail about accidents that occurred on the ferryboat. One involved a mother and her two children attempting to get off of the boat. The gate was down, but had separated from the boat. She had to drop her belongings into the water in order to catch her children before they fell into the water. Another notice titled "Notice No. 4," came on July 14, 1950: "It is necessary for the captain to report to the United States Coast Guard all cases of person overboard, whether the person's life was saved or not." 

Important information for the time

In 1955, the ferryboat had been taken out of service to get some work done to the hull. The Southern Pacific Railroad Company sent this notice to the captain before it left Oakland on May 10: "As you know, the boat is back in service after being dry docked and having her hull cleaned and painted.  This will make it harder for her to stop quickly. Take notice of this when docking in San Francisco." 

These are just a few of the notices from the library archives. For more information about ferryboat Berkeley, visit the museum or check out our website, Maritime Museum of San Diego. 

Entry prepared by Leslin Ossoff, Collections Intern. 

Maritime History Connection: The U.S.S. Oregon

2013.5.1

The Maritime Museum of San Diego has received two objects from the U.S.S. Oregon. We have a cane that doubles as a sword from the supposed last commander of the battleship, Captain Miller. We were also given a lantern. There is another connection: the Ferryboat Berkeley is located at the museum. It was also built by Union Iron Works and launched a few short years after the Oregon.

Now, some history on the Oregon.

The United States battleship was laid down on November 19, 1891 by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California.  The Oregon launched on October 26, 1893, and was officially commissioned on July 15, 1896, with Captain Henry L. Howison in command.

The Oregon headed for the Pacific Station, where she served for a short period of time. On February 16, 1898, the commander got word that the Maine had blown up in Havana Harbor the previous day. On March 9, Oregon arrived back in San Francisco to load ammunition, and the next day received orders to head to the east coast to reinforce the Atlantic Fleet.

Leaving San Francisco

The trip began on March 19, when she left San Francisco, and arrived in Callao, Peru on April 4 to fill up with coal. She departed several days later and Captain Charles E. Clark decided not to stop in Valparaiso, Chile for coal, but instead continue through the Straits of Magellan. On April 16, the Oregon entered the straits and ran into a horrible storm, but had no issue weathering the storm out. The next day she continued around Cape Forward and onto Punta Arenas, where she was joined by gunboat Marietta.

Both the Oregon and the Marietta departed on the 21^st for Rio de Janeiro, with their guns manned for a rumored Spanish torpedo boat that was in the area. Weather delayed them, and they did not reach Rio until the end of April.  They received word about war being declared on Spain, and on May 4, the Oregon set out on the next part of her journey.

She arrived in Jupiter Inlet, Florida on May 24, after sailing over 14,000 nautical miles. On the 26^th, she headed down to Key West, and joined Admiral Sampson’s fleet. On June 1, they arrived in Santiago, Cuba to help defeat the Spanish.

Her time was done in Cuba. She headed up to the New York Navy Yard for a refit, and then sailed to the Asiatic Station. She arrived in Manila on March 18, 1899. The next year she went to Japan and then to Hong Kong. She received orders to head to Taku for the Boxer Rebellion. While she was steaming through the Straits of Pechili, she ran aground on an uncharted rock and had to be towed to Hope Sound for repairs.

Once her repairs were complete, she set back to San Francisco and arrived on June 12, 1901 for an overhaul. She sailed to Asia one more time before being decommissioned and then recommissioned for the last time on August 29, 1911. Her next journey took her back to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. She was then placed on reserve, and taken off for the last time. She served as an escort for the Siberian Intervention.

Oregon as a museum

Her final fate would not be so glorious. She was rendered unfit for duty on January 4, 1924. The next year she was loaned to the state of Oregon, restored, and moored off the coast as a floating monument and museum.

With the outbreak of World War II, the Oregon was deemed to be scrapped. She was sold for $35,000 and towed to Washington for dismantling. She was reinstated by the military and towed to Guam to be used as a barge. She remained there for several years after the war. During a typhoon in 1948, she broke off her moorings and drifted out to sea. She was located a few days later on December 8, by search planes and towed back to Guam. On March 15, 1956 she was sold for $208,000 to the Massey Supply Corporation, and then resold to the Iwai Sanggo Company. She was then towed to Kawasaki, Japan, and scrapped.

Her mast is the only thing to survive. It is located at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon.

For more information, please visit the Navy Historical Center.  

Entry prepared by Leslin Ossoff, Collections Intern. 

Travel in a Different Era: The George Foster Collection

George M. Foster (1914-2006) was a distinguished anthropologist and, among his many accomplishments, has been called the founder of medical anthropology. It is somewhat surprising then to walk back into the archives and see three boxes and a full filing cabinet attributed to Dr. Foster. He was clearly a man of many passions, one of which included collecting various documents and ephemera relating to steam liners of the 20^th century. The three archive boxes work together to create a very detailed manifest of the biggest and more popular liners. A large catalogue filled with hundreds of detailed entries is only an introduction to the vast amount of information available in this collection. Working in concert with this book are two scrapbooks of postcards, newspaper clippings and reproduced pictures. These images often relate to an entry in the book full of liners, providing more detailed or even color pictures of the numerous ships. All of these books are extremely informative and begin to tell a story of an era when the traveling was an experience in and of itself – a phenomenon that is becoming less and less the case.

Brochures for S.S. Ile de France, moving away from numbered classes.

              Further illustrating this time period in travel is the extensive amount of documents – brochures, menus, deck plans and other ephemera – related to ship lines and occasionally to individual ships. This is a hefty percentage of the collection – there are more than 300 folders filled with these artifacts, spanning the 20^th century and from all around the globe. Ship brochures advertised travel in a way that would, today, only be reserved for a website about a cruise line. These colorful and image-filled documents give the reader a feeling of the atmosphere on a ship as well as a sense of familiarity – the detailed deck plans are sometimes even printed into the brochure booklet. It is often the case in this day and age that one doesn’t spend more than about five minutes choosing their seat on an airline’s website, but it is clear that the process of choosing and purchasing a cabin on a ship was much closer to buying a house or leasing an apartment than it is to modern travel. Advertisers understood this, too. Many of the brochures and pamphlets in this collection refer to one’s “personal palace,” as with the S.S. Empress of Britain, or “making the Ile your home,” in the case of the S.S. Ile de France. Luxury and prestige was key, second only to comfort.

Grouping of items from Foster's voyage on the RMS Queen Mary.

            There is no indication in this collection that George Foster personally traveled on all of the lines and ships for which he collected a file, but there are some to which he did have a personal connection. The R.M.S. Queen Mary (Cunard Line) was one such vessel. The file on this ship is particularly interesting as there are documents from an actual voyage – one on which George Foster and his family traveled in 1961. There is a daily itinerary, including information on specific events, announcements, and puzzles such as one would find in a daily newspaper. Menus from lunch and dinner also indicate restaurant-level quality not only on a daily basis, but also multiple times a day. These menus are for the 2^nd class travelers – which by this time many lines had begun calling “Tourist Class” – and with no 1^st class information, it is difficult to fully know the difference between the two in this case. Despite the fact that Dr. Foster did not travel on every ship about which he has information, there is a personal touch throughout this collection. Notes on specifics of ships throughout the catalogue and handwritten tidbits of information throughout speak to the care and attention to detail these artifacts possess, making these artifacts a critical – and colorful – addition to this museum.

For more information on George Foster, visit: http://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/inmemoriam/georgemfosterjr.htm

The Mystery of the Ethie

Finding extra materials in a donation is not uncommon; frequently of little consequence, such items can be anything from a piece of forgotten scrap paper to a small folded napkin. Occasionally, however, a piece is found that only adds to the mystery of an already somewhat mysterious collection.

Found portrait of mystery woman. LA2010.032

It was almost like something out of a movie: after removing the back of a frame, it became clear that there were several things in the way of the backing and the item being framed. After freeing these pieces of discolored card stock, there was a thicker board attached to the back of yet another piece of card stock. After detaching this unknown piece, it became clear that this was not just the usual kind of material used to fill a frame. In fact, this was what appeared to be a hand sketched and colored original piece of art! It was a portrait of a woman in a dress, looking serenely off to the side of the drawing. Upon further investigation of this piece it became clear that the image was the only thing on the board. There was no signature, no name, no date – only this picture. So, the questions became: Who is this woman? Where did this picture come from? Well, the second question was easily answered; this framed document was from the pleasure yacht Ethie, a vessel which traveled from England to San Diego with her crew of 5 in the late 1930’s. Could this woman be the namesake of the ship? Could she be someone who made that long voyage?

The next stop for this investigation was in the museum’s archives within the Kiralfy collection. A.E. Kiralfy was the captain of the Ethie when she made her voyage to San Diego, and his family donated many of the documents relating to this voyage and the yacht itself to the museum. These documents were full of information: bills of health from a number of ports, including London, Lisbon, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal. There is a captain’s log book containing detailed information on positions and weather conditions that the yacht encountered. Various certificates show where the ship went from 1938-1939 as it crossed the Atlantic and traveled to California. In all of this, however, a crucial thing was missing that might indicate who this woman was: pictures. There were no images available to cross reference this image of a woman with any of the extensive documents in the collection. Finally, one document shed a small amount of light on the possible identity of this woman: a bill of sale from 1929 at Cowes Port, London. This document indicated that A.E. Kiralfy was not the first owner of this yacht, and that a Robert H.W. Mander owned it before him. These new answers only led to more questions. Could this image have been on the Ethie before 1929? Could she have simply been forgotten over time?

Bill of Sale for the Ethie, c. 1929. LA2010.032

This led to an extensive, but ultimately fruitless, search to find any records held by Cowes Port of yachts or even sales made in 1929. Robert Mander was also nowhere to be found in any available English records. This was a frustrating moment of what seemed like failure, but there was one more possible avenue to explore. The woman in the image itself was wearing a very specific style of dress, and one could also clearly see the way in which her hair was styled. If there were not external indications to this woman’s identity, possibly more information about her could be discerned from within. After looking at primary sources from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the form of plates and images, it became clear that this woman was likely drawn within the decade of the 1920s, meaning that her identity could very well be the namesake of the Ethie. However, it is likely lost and will remain unknown.

The Ethie herself is a ship that will also only live on in the memory of the museum. The last known document relating to the ship is one from the 1940s – it is a report of the condition of the ship after what would seem to be damage to her hull. Shortly after this, record stops and it is unclear what happened to her. It is possible that she was renamed and moved, or that she met her demise at sea. Whatever the case may be, the Ethie remains a piece of the museum – both displayed in miniature form and recorded in her documents. The spirit of this vessel will be preserved along with all of her mysteries, including this mystery woman.

Sailor Desmond’s Tattoo Parlor

Wood with metal handles on both ends, 9 x 23 x 12 inches

Gest Collection

1968.149

Tattooing in the early 20^th Century was not very common in America. Compared to Europe and Asia, sailors were normally the only people to have them. This would soon change when more people started entering the United States with tattoos on their skin. Most people considered these tattooed people freaks, which then led them to be put on display in freak shows and circus acts. People would come from all over to see this displaying of artwork on the skin of people.[1]

After the decline of these shows, tattoos were associated with the dirtier areas of town. With the invention of the electric tattoo machine  around the same time, tattooing became popular for ordinary people as well as sailors. This type of tattooing was known as flash tattooing. The artists would hang up their drawings for people to pick from. Most of the flash tattooing designs were very similar. The “mom” tattoos, as well as pin up girls were featured in flash design.[2] The example of flash is displayed with the object in this collection. It was during this time that many tattoo shops started appearing in port towns and featuring military flash designs particularly designed for the marines and navy soldiers in that area.

Different tattoos on sailors represented certain things that they had accomplished during their time served, and it was also a way to show all the places they had traveled to. A turtle on the back of the legs indicated that he had been to the equator. A rope around the wrist meant that he was a dock hand.   A cross on the bottom of each foot was supposed to help keep the sharks away. It is thought that a rooster and a pig on the ankles would prevent the sailor from drowning. An anchor most likely meant the sailor spent time in the Atlantic or they were a merchant marine. The very popular Hula girl came from the World War II era after the sailor spent time in Hawaii. The sight of a swallow while at sea was a great sight to many of the sailors, as this meant land was close. The swallow is known for always returning home, therefore the sailor would return home as well. Another meaning behind the swallow is that a sailor would get this after he had traveled 5,000 nautical miles. This was normally placed on the chest. The more swallows a sailor had on his chest, the more respect he earned. Finally, the words “Hold Fast” tattooed on knuckles meant the sailor would not drop a line or fall overboard.[3]

For more information about this history of tattoos and the use of early machines, visit The National Tattoo Museum.

Blog Entry Prepared by Leslin Ossoff, Collections Intern 

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[1] http://www.randomhistory.com/2008/07/26_tattoo.html

[2] http://blog.nyhistory.org/a-short-incomplete-history-of-american-traditional-tattooing/ 

[3] http://www.military-history.org/articles/war-culture-maritime-tattoos.htm

Whats in our Collection? Tea Leaf Pattern China

Did you know that the Maritime Museum of San Diego has one of the largest collections of the Tea Leaf Pattern Royal Ironstone China any where?

We have 130 different Tea Leaf decorated items in our collection and many are on display aboard our prize sailing ship The Star of India.

The study of ceramics is important because it can tell us about the lifestyles of those who used the items.  Full dinner and tea service items like those in this collection would have been reserved for the first class passengers and the captain. These type of wares were considered a luxury and the most fashionable pieces were and are still highly sought after.

Most of the collection here at the museum is from a single potter, Alfred Meakin, but we also have pieces from several other potters including Enoch Wedgwood, Anthony Shaw, and Thomas Furnival. Pieces in our collection range in date from 1839 to 1910. 

Tea Leaf Pattern China is actually not a tea leaf at all, but a Sprig.[1] The copper color, or lustre, is made using pigments derived from metallic oxides. This gives the design both color and shine.

 

The name “tea leaf” began to be associated with this design in the 20^th century when it experienced a renewed popularity.  Also known as tea-berry, cinquefoil or coral design, this pattern was manufactured by several different English and American potters starting in 1850 through the early 1900s, and was brought back into production in the 1960s.[2]

This pattern is commonly called tea leaf because of the similarities to an actual tea leaf but also because of the fortune telling practice of reading tea leaves. Some believe that the tea leaves left in the bottom of a cup by the drinker can lend insight into the future. The dark clumps left at the bottom of a cup are reminiscent of the solid tea leaf design and its brown copper color.[3]

For more information about Tea Leaf Pattern china and its history visit the Tea Leaf Club International website..

Thank you to the Star of India Auxiliary for the donation of many of the pieces, particularly those pictured here.

Further Reading :

“Handbook of Tea Leaf body styles : a compendium of bodystyles decorated with traditional and variant Tea Leaf motifs and copper lustretreatments”

Tea Leaf Ironstone China - AnOverview

Blog Entry Prepared by Jessica Glickman, Collections Intern

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[1] Upchurch, Nancy. “Handbook of Tea Leaf Body Styles”. 1995

[2] Abrams, Dale “Tea Leaf Ironstone China - An Overview”. 2000

[3] http://www.readingtealeaves.info/practice_method.html