POLYCHROME SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH BY EDWARD BURDETT Circa 1830-1833
Inscribed on lower edge "Engraved, By Edward Burdett. Onboard Of The. Wm Tell." Obverse titled "Arrabella. of Sag Harbor. In the Act of Whaling." Depicts an active whaling scene with three whaleboats and a surfaced whale off the Arrabella. Multiple figures are seen on the deck of the whaleship and a lookout is in the crow's nest. Reverse titled "William Tell. Of New York. Homeward Bound." Depicts the American whaleship William Tell with a sailboat, coastal lighthouse, house and outbuilding in the distance off her bow. The lighthouse is topped by a bannerette weather vane, smoke wisps from the house's chimney and a fence surrounds all three buildings. Some elements colored red, including the house and outbuilding, the doors and windows on the lighthouse, the sailboat's pennant, and the figures onboard the Arrabella. A stylized foliate vine with red berries, typical of Burdett's work, wraps almost completely around the circumference of the base, and the lettering throughout the tooth is the same serifed lettering seen on other Burdett examples. The coastline, the sperm whale and both whaleship hulls are deeply carved. Length 7.75".
Because of the inscription on this tooth, we know it was created while Edward Burdett was onboard the ship William Tell , which left New York in November 1829 and returned to port in February 1833. It is likely the William Tell encountered the Arrabella while both ships were in the Pacific whaling grounds between 1830 and 1833. Because this tooth depicts the William Tell on its homeward voyage, it can be surmised it was done toward the end of Burdett's time aboard the ship. It descended through the family of Burdett's sister, Lydia Burdett Hallett, and was perhaps engraved as a gift for her.


Many elements of this tooth are similar to an Edward Burdett tooth sold at Eldred's Marine Sale, July 20, 2017, Lot #1, for a world-record $456,000. Both teeth bear inscriptions indicating the teeth were engraved by Burdett aboard the William Tell, the obverses both depict whaling scenes, the reverses both depict ships on their homeward bound voyage, and the whaleships are boldly rendered yet finely detailed. While the whaling scene on this tooth is more simplistic, it can be argued the coastline scene is more substantially developed. Given that the tooth was most likely engraved while Burdett was homeward bound onboard the William Tell and that it was intended as a gift for his sister Lydia, it is easy to imagine his thoughts had turned more toward the comforts of home rather than the toils of whaling.

Provenance:
Descended in the family of Edward Burdett's sister, Lydia Burdett Hallett, through the Hallett family then as a gift to the current consignor.
Edward Burdett was a pioneer of American scrimshaw, and in his short but prolific career he produced what are widely considered masterpieces of the genre. He was born on Nantucket in October 1805, the son of a merchant sea captain. His first whaling voyage was aboard the Foster from 1822 to 1824. In successive voyages he sailed aboard the William Tell and the Montano. In November 1833, while serving as first mate onboard the Montano, Burdett was entangled in line, dragged by a whale overboard, and drowned.

Edward had one older sister and four younger sisters. His next to youngest sister was Lydia (1812-1895), who married Captain William Hallett (1812-1882), son of Isaac and Rebecca Matthews Hallett of Barnstable. Lydia and William lived at 570 Main Street, Hyannis, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

William and Lydia had no children but William had many siblings, Allen Hallett (1809-1864) being the closest in birth order. Allen Hallett was a carpenter and woodworker on Nantucket. He married Hepsabeth Rand (1813-1859) and they had a son, Eugene, born in 1838. As Eugene grew up, Nantucket's economy began to falter, due to decline of the whaling industry and young men leaving the island for the California Gold Rush.

Eugene Hallett wanted to learn jewelry and watch making so he and his parents left Nantucket for Boston when Eugene was 15 years old so he could apprentice with a jeweler. Eugene excelled at the craft, and after a year and a half, he was recommended to a jeweler in Providence, Rhode Island. Another year and a half later he was deemed proficient enough to go out on his own.

At that point, the Halletts became part of the great migration west so Eugene could start his jewelry business where there was no other. He and his parents pooled their savings for Eugene to purchase inventory and they set out via stage coach and river boats for Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon arrival in 1856, Leavenworth was nothing more than a wild dusty crossroads and military outpost with few structures. Eugene was indeed the first to establish a jewelry, watch and engraving business there, while his father established the first lumber and hardware business and did construction in the burgeoning town.

It is believed Lydia Burdett Hallett gave her nephew Eugene the sperm whale tooth before he left on his venture west, since both her brother and her young nephew were skilled engravers.

Eugene married Martha Jonson Brown (1847- 1935) in Ottumwa, Iowa, in 1865, and they made their home in Leavenworth until relocating to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1871. Eugene died at age 98 in 1933. Eugene's sons, Fred and Hugh, followed in their father's successful jewelry business in Lincoln, renaming it Hallett Bros. Jewelry. Fred (1869-1952) and his wife, Mabel Curtis (1873-1962) had no children, but Hugh (1878-1948) and his wife, Henrietta Hawley (1879-1949), had three sons. The only one who continued the family jewelry business was Eugene Sheldon Hallett (1904-1971).

Going by the name Sheldon, he married his University of Nebraska sweetheart, Frances Bolton Hallett (1906-1985) in 1929. As the next generation engraver, Shel and Fran took custody of the Burdett tooth directly from Sheldon's grandfather upon his passing in 1933.

Shel and Fran had no children. When Shel reached retirement age, he was anxious to enjoy his golden years in a warmer climate, so he liquidated the 100-year-old Nebraska family business and retired to Scottsdale, Arizona, in the fall of 1969. After an invigorating morning desert horseback ride on his thoroughbred, he was lounging by the pool and suffered a fatal heart. He passed away at age 66 in 1971.

In the fall of 1971, Sheldon's widow struck up a close friendship with the current consignors. Having no family of her own, Fran gave the Burdett tooth to them in 1983. The tooth has never before been offered for sale.

Conditions of Sale

1. CORRECTNESS OF DESCRIPTION: Robert C. Eldred Co., Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Eldred's) has exercised reasonable care to catalog and describe correctly the property to be sold, but neither Eldred's nor its consignors warrant the correctness of description, attribution, authenticity, or condition of said property. No statements shall be deemed such a warranty or representation or an assumption of liability with respect thereto, but are to be construed as opinions only. Bidders are encouraged to personally examine all property to be sold prior to the beginning of the auction.

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10. SALES TAX: All purchases are subject to the Massachusetts sales tax (currently 6.25%) unless the purchaser A) possesses a Massachusetts sales tax exemption or resale number and registers that number with the company, B) is an out-of-state vendor who meets all the requirements of Massachusetts Department of Revenue GLC 64H 1(5) and Directive 89-10 and registers with the company prior to each purchase, or C) has purchases shipped out of state directly from Eldred's by a bona fide shipping agent. Dealers, museums, etc. can apply for a Massachusetts number prior to the auction by contacting the Massachusetts Department of Corporations and Taxation, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02204.

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14. These Conditions of Sale cannot be altered except in writing by Eldreds or by public announcement by the auctioneer at the time of the sale.

15. Bidding on any article(s) indicates acceptance of the terms set forth above.

16. These Conditions of Sale

Absentee Bids

Because of the manner in which our online system processes and transmits left bids, Eldred's does not receive bid information until the exact moment of sale. Because the bidding console does not differentiate between left bids and live bids, the first bid accepted by the auctioneer is the winning bid, regardless of the time the bid was originally left.

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Payment is due within 7 days of the close of the auction. Payment must be in the form of bank or pre-approved personal check or money order. All checks must be drawn from a US bank in US funds. All bank checks must include complete personal information (name, address, phone number) as well as the phone number of the bank the check is drawn on. Eldred's reserves the right to hold merchandise until payment clears. Under no circumstances will Eldred's accept Paypal. Master Card and Visa are accepted provided that the total invoice amount is $5,000 USD or less and the credit card billing address is tied to a valid US zip code. International credit cards are NOT accepted under any circumstances.

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We require prompt payment and removal of your purchases as stated in Paragraph 12 of the Conditions of Sale. If you plan to pick up your purchases, please call ahead and we'll make every effort to have your items ready. Our physical address is 1483 Route 6A, East Dennis, MA. Pick up of smaller items at our Mystic, CT location is also available with advance notice.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide shipping quotes until the invoice had been paid in full.
In house shipping is offered exclusively though UPS. All items are shipped with UPS insurance (max. $50,000). UPS insurance is billed at $2.70 for the first $100 and at $0.90 per hundred afterwards. Eldred's charges a minium $15 handling fee per package plus actual UPS shipping charges.
COLLECTION OF PURCHASES: Delivery or shipping arrangements must be made within seven (7) days from the close of the auction for all purchases. All items must be removed from Eldred's facilities within fourteen (14) days of the end of the auction. All items remaining after fourteen days may be subject to a $5/per item/per day storage fee. No items will be released unless storage fees are paid in full. Items remaining over thirty (30) days from the close of the auction may be sold for the buyer's account minus auction and storage fees.

Buyer's Premium

A 25% Buyer's Premium will be charged on successful bids. This is inclusive of the the 5% on-line auction fee. All purchases are subject to the Massachusetts sales tax (currently 6.25%) unless the purchaser possesses a Massachusetts sales tax exemption or resale number and registers that number with the company or has purchases shipped out of state (with the exception of Connecticut) directly from Eldred's by a bona fide shipping agent. Connecticut residents picking items up in our Mystic branch or having purchases shipped to their Connecticut address are responsible for CT state sales sax.

Condition Reports

Your bid is a legally binding contract. Upon the fall of the auctioneer's hammer, title will pass to the highest bidder, and the property is thereafter at the purchaser's sole risk and responsibility. Users must register and be approved to bid before the auction. Eldred's reserves the right to deny approval for any reason. Accounts with private feedback will be approved under any circumstances.