44

Early 19th Century

WAR OF 1812 MEMORIAL SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH

Deep and rich patina. Obverse with bust portrait of illustrious naval officer Lieut. John Templar Shubrick (1788-1815) flanked by leafy branches and framed within a checkered surround. Reverse depicts the full-rigged brig Epervier, of which Shubrick was commander. Tooth accompanied by documents and research material including an original engraving of Shubrick from which the scrimshaw portrait is based, a September 1816 issue of The Analectic Magazine & Naval Chronicle that contains a memorial to Shubrick by Moses Thomas, p. 248-251, a photocopy of a biographical sketch on Shubrick by noted author James Fennimore Cooper, published in the December 1844 issue of Graham's Magazine, etc.
Length 5.5".
Condition: Sizable chip at tip. Typical uneven base, age cracks and lines, etc.

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  • Provenance:
    Brought west with a family that settled in New Mexico before 1850.
    Purchased in 1981 from Forrest Fenn, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
    A Rhode Island Private Collection.

    Notes:
    Born in South Carolina in 1788, John Templar Shubrick served aboard the Chesapeake under Decatur, the Constitution during the capture of Guerriere and Java, the Hornet during the capture of Peacock, and the President, when he was captured by the British. He was released at the end of the war, then joined Decatur to sail to Algiers in 1815 as an executive officer. He was commander of Epervier in July 1815 when the brig and all souls aboard were lost at sea.

    The sloop of war Epervier, 447 feet in length, was captured by Peacock off Florida in 1814. She was sent to Savannah for repairs and following the war she sailed in the Mediterranean Squadron with a mission of stopping the harassment of American shipping by the Dey of Algiers. When a treaty was signed with the Dey, Epervier, with Shubrick in command, was chosen to bear a copy of the treaty to the United States. She was never seen again after sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar on July 14, 1815.

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February 24, 2022 9:30 AM EST
East Dennis, MA, US

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