Frederick Myrick

1808-1862

American (Nantucket, Massachusetts)

The famous scrimshaw engraver Frederick Myrick of Nantucket, Massachusetts, was the first of any nationality to sign and date some of his scrimshaw, a practice that was never universally adopted among scrimshaw artists. On his second whaling voyage to the Pacific Ocean, on the ship Susan of Nantucket during 1826-29, Myrick produced at least 36 engraved teeth, each bearing two detailed portraits of a single ship on the whaling grounds or homeward bound. At least 18 of these teeth were engraved by Myrick during the first voyage.