​This is a wonderful example of 19th century scrimshaw done on a 5 1/4" whale tooth.  One side depicts a whaling scene with the ​Bark Trinity ​in the background and men in a whale boat harpooning a whale. The obverse scene is of the lush tropical south sea island of Marquesas ​as it appeared on 1869. The workmanship on this whale tooth is outstanding. A interesting side note is that in 1880 the Trinity ​was wrecked in a gale and the crew were stranded for 16 months on Heard Island in the South Indian Ocean. A truly beautiful piece of 19th century American folkart.  

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