Vintage View: Scrimshaws

Kya deLongchamps takes a voyage in the forecastle, with the skilled makers of scrimshaws. 

Scrimshaws are fascinating pieces of artisan crafting — primitive artwork from the callused hands of the ordinary man.

Few are signed, but they have a deep pathos to them, human as well as animal. Executed on the by-product of one of the most loathed industries of modern times, and despite the typical dealer adage that ‘no whale was killed to make scrimshaw’, they are not for everyone.