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Decature-Adams Tusk
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA
Decature-Adams Tusk
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA
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Decature-Adams Tusk

Artifact IDMO 63.2139
Object Type Scrimshaw
Date before 1963
Medium Walrus tusk
DimensionsOverall H 28 1/2 in (72.4 cm )
Physical DescriptionWalrus tusk scrimshaw, the largest piece in President Kennedy's collection, shows only preliminary outlining and remains unfinished. The front, from top to bottom, is etched with Neptune riding a hippocanth with two attendant mermen, a portrait of Commodore Stephen Decatur USN based on a John Wesley Jarvis painting, a portrait of John Adams based on the work of Gilbert Stuart, the Adams' mansion with "Quincy Mass" inscribed below. The back, from top to bottom, is etched with the personification of Justice with an eagle, a table amphora filled with flowers, a seated lady holding a fan wearing a gown typical of the 1860's, a woman running along a rocky shore with a lighthouse in background, inscribed "Light of the Lighthouse." The main etching is a woman carrying basket of roses on her head with Cupid peaking over the brim preparing to unleash an arrow, inscribed below "Love among the roses."
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteItem is from the personal collection of President and Mrs. Kennedy. It was donated to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum by the Estate of President John F. Kennedy in 1965.
Credit LineJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA; Gift of the Estate of President John F. Kennedy
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesJohn F. Kennedy Personal Collection (National Archives Identifier 76055731)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedUse Restriction NoteThis material is not subject to any known copyright or other image use restrictions.
In Collection(s)
Not on view