Nantucket Historical Association Acquires Rare Edward Burdett Scrimshaw Plaque

The Nantucket Historical Association has acquired a rare scrimshaw plaque by Edward Burdett (1805–1833), the earliest identified American engraver of sperm whale teeth. The plaque, made from bone, is one of only two such plaques known among about twenty surviving Burdett pieces. It had been held by a single family for 200 years, descendants of Capt. Valentine Hussey, a prominent Nantucket whaling merchant. The NHA already owns three other Burdett works, including a tooth from the same whaleship. The plaque will be exhibited this summer in the Arie L. Kopelman Gallery at the Whaling Museum, where it has been called "Nantucket's Mona Lisa."