The Scrimshaw of the Pirate Woman

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

In my previews of last year, I had included a whale tooth scrimshaw, which was sold $ 100K inclusive by Sotheby's in New York on September 26 from a low estimate of $ 40K. It had been engraved at sea, signed, and dated 1835. The price depends on the sharpness of the image.

In the maritime art sale at Christie's in New York on January 15, a nice set of scrimshaws will be presented.

Guided by the press release from the auction house, I do not look for the most expensive, whose estimates do not compete with the piece I mentioned above. I prefer discussing the lot 112, estimated $ 5 K, which bears the image of the pirate woman Fanny Campbell.

As it is often the case, the glory of this adventurer was especially literary since it is in a book of 1845 that American readers became familiar with her name. The scrimshaw dates from this time, and is inspired by a popular print. She wears a feathered hat and a pair of pistols in her belt. With one hand she holds a cutlass and in the other a pirate flag.

It is drawn and colored on a whale tooth 14 cm long.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

The pirate woman was sold $ 5 K including premium. We should not have expected a higher price for a topic from the popular imagery.

In the same sale, three scrimshaws fetched $ 12.5 K each, including premium. Two of them showed ships, and the other showed various symbols of America. Again the whales had provided the raw material.