A scrimshaw whaletooth from the Darwin expedition. Crafted by James Adolphus Bute, a marine on boar
A scrimshaw whaletooth from the Darwin expedition. Crafted by James Adolphus Bute, a marine on board the HMS Beagle during the expedition. The scrimshaw depict the Beagle when she was at sea and when she was beached for repair at Santa Cruz in Argentina in 1834. Beneath the image Bute has written, "H M Sloop Beagle laid on shore to repair her Forefoot.“Scrimshaw was a common decorative art practiced by sailors and marines during the 18th and 19th century, usually done on ivory or bone. To create scrimshaw a sailor would scratch the engraving with a metal pin, then rub soot from an oil lamp over it creating the unique delicate lines that makes scrimshaw artwork popular. -- source link
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