CC0 · no rights reserved
Bone Seam Rubber, 19th Century
From the collection of National Museum of American History. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Seam rubbers were commonly made aboard whaling ships during leisure time. They were used by sail makers to smooth and flatten a seam in heavy sailcloth, so that it could be sewn. The handle of this example was turned on a lathe, and on the handle’s crossbar is a symbol (probably of ownership) in the form of a backwards “L”. The sharp end does not show any signs of wear, indicating that it was probably carved as a toy or souvenir rather than a working utensil in a sail maker’s tool kit.
National Museum of American History’s own descriptionCredit lineBone Seam Rubber, 19th Century. 19th century. National Museum of American History, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Greenwood. CC0.
