Reginald B. Hegarty Collection H-70 ©1997 The Kendall institute
Cutting-in (on bark Charles W. Morgan) landing a sperm whale’s jaw on deck, 1910 [sic]
Reginald B. Hegarty (19th-20th c., American)

SPERM WHALE JAWBONE
Sperm whale teeth and jawbones had no real commercial value, and from the early years of the fishery such materials were used on shipboard for sailors’ handiwork. Over generations, the carving and engraving of whale’s teeth, bone, baleen, walrus ivory, and other byproducts of the hunt emerged as a highly-developed scrimshaw art form. In this photo, taken aboard the Charles W. Morgan in 1910, the crew lands a sperm-whale jawbone on deck. The teeth will be extracted with crowbars and winches, and, with slices of the bone, will be distributed among the officers and crew to fashion a wide variety of scrimshaw mementoes for friends and families back home.