POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Whale bone walking stick made by Alfred Evans

Object No. E4526

This unusually fine walking stick has been skillfully constructed by Alfred Evans. It was made in Sydney during the mid-nineteenth century when Evans, a skilled craftsman was creating a number of decorative pieces from the teeth, bones and balleen of whales caught off the coast of Australia and Oceania, including the Solomon Islands, between 1850 and 1855. It is rare to find scrimshaw pieces like these providing a well provenanced link to the maker. This, and Alfred Evan's other designs, are particularly significant for the Museum as they have a direct provenance to Sydney and New South Wales. This walking stick is one of a number of whale scrimshaw pieces by Alfred Evans that were donated to the Museum by Alfred Evans' wife (or her children) in 1914. -oOo- The word scrimshaw is primarily used to describe the carving and decoration of baleen (sometimes referred to as whalebone) and skeletal bones and teeth (sometimes referred to as ivory). Other materials used are horn, wood and walrus tusks. Whale scrimshaw objects were derived from two groups of whales; the Mysticeti (baleen whales), and the Odontoceti, the toothed whale. Mysticeti, 'Right' whales, are found in colder waters and were the first to be used commercially. Odontoceti, 'Sperm' whales, are found in the warmer waters of the Pacific and have an average of 25 teeth embedded in their lower jaw. Once scraped and polished teeth and bone were engraved or carved with a sharp blade or point. Engravings were rubbed with ink or a mixture of oil and soot make the image stand out. In Europe hunting whales probably began as early as the sixth century but it was in the late eighteenth and the nineteenth that the essentially folk art of scrimshaw came to prominence. Sailors away at sea for months or even years often had time on their hands which enabled them to carve baleen, teeth, and whale-bone into a variety of forms. These included functional items such as tools and ships fittings but they also fabricated toys, cutlery and jewellery. Geoff Barker, March, 2007, updated Anne-Marie Van de Ven, Curator, 2018. References Phillips, P., (ed), 'Ivory: an International History and Illustrated Survey', Harry N. Abrams Inc., New York, 1987 MacGregor, A., 'Bone, Antler, Ivory and Horn: the technology of skeletal materials since the Roman period', Barnes and Noble Books, New Jersey, 1985. West, J., Credland, G., 'Scrimshaw: The Art of the Whaler', Hutton Press, Yorkshire, England, 1995 McClelland Gallery, 'Scrimshaw the Sailor's Art', McClelland Gallery, Victoria, Australia, 1986 MacGregor, A., 'Bone, Antler, Ivory and Horn: the technology of skeletal materials since the Roman period', Barnes and Noble Books, New Jersey, 1985. Mossman, S., (ed.), Early Plastics; perspectives, 1850-1950, Leicester University Press, London, 1997

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Summary

Object Statement

Walking stick, whale bone / tortoiseshell, Alfred Evans, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1850-1855

Physical Description

Walking stick, ornately carved whale bone inlaid with red tortoiseshell, made by Alfred Evans from whales caught off the coast of Australia around 1852, made in Sydney, Australia, 1850-1855 Walking stick; Made from Whales teeth & Bones (Jaw) by Mr. Alfred Evans from Whales caught off the Australain Coast 1852; Locality: Australia; 1914/710 (SB). (SB). Walking stick of whale bone with tortoiseshell inlay. Australian. Evans donation. (LC).

DIMENSIONS

Width

55 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

This walking stick was made by Alfred Evans in Sydney, Australia around 1850-1855.

HISTORY

Notes

The original Museum stockbook for this donation notes that the object was presented to the Museum by a "Mrs Alfred Evans Gladstone Macleay River NSW / 3 June 1914." The stockbooks also notes this particular item is one of a collection of 18 pieces of decorated scrimshaw "made from whales teeth and bones (jaw) by Mr Alfred Evans from whales caught off the coast of the Australian coast 1852". The collection includes: a walking stick, which is inlaid with red tortoiseshell (E4526), a picture on whale bone (E4527), a watch stand, which is also inlaid with red tortoiseshell (E4528), 8 decorated whale teeth (E4529), 2 cruet bottles, for salt and pepper (E4530), 1 needle case, for sewing needles (E4531), 1 piercer (E4532) and 3 dice (E4533). The maker, Alfred Evans (1820/22-1895) was born at Southwark in the London dockland area of England in 1820 or 1822. He was in Sydney, Australia by 1850 and married at St James church, Macquarie Street, Sydney during January 1851. From 1850 or 1851 to November 1855 Evans worked in the Miller's Point warehouse of Robert Towns as a cooper (see copy of Letter of reference, November 1855 on file, in which notes Evans was considered 'sober, honest, and obliging' and 'a very good tradesman'). Alfred Evans went to sea on whaling vessels during this time, including a long voyage on the whaling barque 'Jane' to San Cristobell in the Solomon Islands which left Sydney in April 1851. The Jane was in San Cristobel during October 1851. (See ' Whaling barque Jane, Sydney Morning Herald, 19 January 1852, p.2 Copy on file.) The coopered barrels that Evans made in the Towns warehouse would have been re-assembled on the whaling barques to contain harvested whale oil. It has been suggested by a descendant of Alfred Evans, Australian historian Ian Evans, that all of these pieces of scrimshaw were probably made between 1850 and 1855, and the more elaborate pieces, like the walking stick and watch stand, probably made while Evans had access to tools in the workshop at the Millers Point warehouse. Alfred Evans moved to Gladstone on the lower Macleay River of New South Wales with his family, probably in late 1855 or 1856, where he became a farmer. He died in 1895. Anne-Marie Van de Ven, Curator 2018 References: Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences stockbook, 1914 Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences File 69/3374 Email correspondence, Ian Evans to curator, April 2016 Letter of reference, Towns for Alfred Cooper, 12 November 1855 ' Whaling barque Jane', Sydney Morning Herald, 19 January 1852 West, Janet, Australian Scrimshaw, Australiana, August1987 pp.71-83

SOURCE

Credit Line

Presented by Mrs Alfred Evans, 1914

Acquisition Date

3 June 1914

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