Scrimshaw Coconut Shell
MakerMade by
Elisha Strong Kellogg
American, 1824 - 1864
Dateabout 1852
MediumCoconut shell
ClassificationsEquipment
Credit LineBequest of Martha R. Lambert
DescriptionScrimshawed coconut shell decorated with a gambrel-roofed house in Glastonbury, Connecticut, flags, and sailing ships.
Object number1979.68.165
NotesHistorical Note: This coconut shell was engraved by Elisha Strong Kellogg (1824-1864) of Glastonbury, Connecticut. Kellogg signed aboard a New London whaleship while in his teens, beginning a maritime career that lasted at least a decade. Undoubtedly, he learned of this maritime folk art form while serving in the whale fishery. Among the images he engraved on the shell is that of his family's home in Glastonbury which, though much modified, survives to this day. Kellogg tried his luck in California during the Gold Rush, and the shell also includes a gold mining camp scene. He returned home in the early 1850s, married, and moved to Derby, where he worked as a tool maker. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Kellogg enlisted in a Connecticut unit, eventually rising to the rank of colonel. He lost his life at the battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia in 1864. (Malley 4/13/1992)Subject Terms
On View
Not on view
