Unsigned Polar Bear Baleen Basket, Point Barrow, c. 1968

Alaskana: Vintage George Ahgupuk Decorated Lampshade

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

George Ahgupuk

During the 1950s a curio shop in Anchorage, Alaska marketed small table and wall lamps as souvenirs of Alaska. The ceramic bases were in the form of Billikens, antlers, and undecorated geometric shapes. The shades for these lamps were made of three or more parchment-like panels, stitched together with man-made laces that were probably intended to look like baleen. Each panel on a lamp shade was imprinted with a different George Ahgupuk drawing. 

His drawings were also reproduced on a series of plastic placemats, small wooden wall plaques, and ceramic plates.

Eskimo Storyteller Bracelet

George Omnik: Baleen Basket Master

Apparently, the going price for a George Omnik baleen basket in 1970 was around $125.

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik and Hubert Koonuk Baleen Baskets

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

George Omnik

Hubert Koonik

Hubert Koonik

Hubert Koonik

Hubert Koonik

Hubert Koonik

Nuguruk: Meet Betty Crocker...

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  "Nuguruk"

  
  

  

  "Nuguruk"

  
  
  "Nuguruk" was not an Eskimo scrimshaw artist, but a Seattle company of the 1960s and even earlier, which obtained cutlery blades and fittings, often from Germany or England, and then hired local people to produce scrimshaw ivory handles. Their products are indeed real ivory (sometimes marine ivory, but more often imported elephant ivory) and are scrimshawed by hand.  
  However, because the scrimshaw was produced from patterns supplied by the company, they are not original works of art, and all or most of the artists were non-Native. 
  They copied templates which they were given by the company, and as a result there are only a few stock patterns: seal on ice floe, dog sled, cabin, and a dozen or so others. All the items were signed "Nuguruk," regardless of the name of the factory worker who applied the designs.  
  Even though some of the factory workers may have been native, genuine native art is not mass-produced using company supplied templates, or signed with a name which is not that of the maker. 

        As a result, the value of these items is a fraction of that of authentic Eskimo art (perhaps $25 for a carving set, $15 for a cheese slicer).

More information as to the origin of these items is found in "The Lure of Alaska," a 2007 publication of the Alaska State Museum:

According to this publication, the Herman Krupp Co. of Seattle had been marketing 'Alaskan' souvenirs since the 1910’s, and the James L. Houston company, a well-known Seattle jewelry-seller, employed a long-time Krupp employee, Karl Lemke, to mechanically etch fake Eskimo items and sign them with the generic Eskimo-sounding name 'Nuguruk' or 'Nunuk.' See p. 25 of the article, which can be found by googling the title or searching publications of the Alaska State Museum.

From Little Diomede Island: Carved Dogsled Bracelet, c. 1953

Carved ivory and baleen bracelet from Little Diomede Island, c. 1953

Carved ivory and baleen bracelet from Little Diomede Island, c. 1953

Carved ivory and baleen bracelet from Little Diomede Island, c. 1953

Carved ivory and baleen bracelet from Little Diomede Island, c. 1953

Carved ivory and baleen bracelet from Little Diomede Island, c. 1953

Carved ivory and baleen bracelet from Little Diomede Island, c. 1953

Ivory is the teeth of animals. "True" ivory comes from elephants and mammoth -- however, the term is generally applied to the tusks of other mammals, and some synthetics. 

Chemically, ivory is similar to bone and antler, and comprises a collagen matrix with a mineral component. Unlike bone, ivory has no blood vessel system, and is therefore more dense.

The most commonly found ivories in North America come from elephant, walrus, sperm whale, and hornbill. It is possible to tell these ivories apart, as they are structurally different.

Elephant Ivory
This category includes ivory from both Indian and African elephants, as well as ivory from mammoths and mastodon. 

The tusks, or upper incisors, of these animals are used. They can have a cross section of up to 20cm (8"), and be up to 2.5m (almost 3 yards) long. They are oval in cross section, and are made up of a hard, dense tissue called dentin, which is made up of 70% inorganic material, and 30% collagen. Unlike human teeth, elephant tusks do not have an enamel coating. They do have a cementum layer, however; ivory dealers refer to this as the "bark" or the "rind". Occasionally this layer is retained on a piece of worked ivory. One-third to one-half of an elephant tusk is hollow.

Growth occurs as layer upon layer of calcified tissue is deposited on the interior of the tusk; you can see these concentric oval growth lines (called the Lines of Owen) in cross section. If you cut ivory lengthwise, these lines appear triangular. Fine and even near the hollow of the tusk (the pulp cavity), these lines become wavy and have milky areas between them as you get closer to the outside of the tusk.

Unique to elephant ivory are the Lines of Retzius. These fine intersecting lines are visible in cross section, and give an engine-turned effect (intersecting lines with a diamond shape between them).

Generally, elephant ivory has a fine, even grain and is easily carved in all directions. It can be thinly cut (i.e. for piano keys), and can be more deltcately carved than bone. This ivory is often painted or stained, dyed, and gilded. When cut, the pores of the ivory fill with an oily substance, which helps the ivory polish up nicely.

Hippopotamus Ivory
This is the second most commonly used ivory, after elephant ivory. Often used for flat items, such as buttons and inlays, it comes from the lower canines and incisors of hippos. The size varies, depending on the size of the animal.

The lower canine is curved, and has a triangular cross section; the incisor is straighter, and has a circular cross section. Both have two layers of dentin: an outer, primary dentin, and an inner, secondary dentin. The innermost layer has a marbled appearance which differs by species, and can even appear to have a greenish cast. The pulp cavities of these teeth are fairly small. Unlike elephant ivory, hippo ivory does have a thick enamel coating.

Hippo ivory is denser than elephant ivory, harder to carve, and has a finer grain. There is none of the "engine turned" effect in cross section, rather, hippo ivory has concentric rings in cross section. Finally, hippo ivory is less prone to decay than elephant ivory.

Walrus Ivory
This ivory comes from the upper canines of walrus. It is oval in cross section, and can be over two feet in length. It has an inner dentin layer (which has a high mineral content; it forms as the tusk grows, and leaves a marbled look on finished objects), an outer dentin layer, and a smooth, dense cementum layer. Walrus ivory is used primarily for small objects.

Sperm Whale Ivory

Thirty teeth of the sperm whale can be used for ivory. Each of these teeth, up to 8" long and 3" across, are hollow for the first half of their length. Sperm whale ivory is easily confused with walrus ivory, as both have two distinct layers. The inner layer of sperm whale ivory, however, is much larger. As well, in a longitudinal section, sperm whale dentin has yellow "globules" included in the marbilization.

Hornbill Ivory
This comes from the casque or epithema of the Helmeted Hornbill, a bird native to the East Indies. It is distinguished from the rest of its family (the Bucerotidae) by having the front of its almost vertical and slightly convex epithema made of a solid mass of horn. This "horn" or "ivory" is quite hard and closely-textured. This substance is used to make small objects such as buckles and brooches, and is highly valued by the Chinese. In cross section, you can see a bright yellow interior with a scarlet rim.

Vegetable Ivory
The source of vegetable ivory is the inner seed of the South American ivory palm, and is thus completely made of cellulose (rather than collagen). These seeds are the size and shape of a small hen's egg, are very hard, and are solid all the way through. Vegetable ivory is smooth, takes a good polish, easily absorbs dyes, and is relatively inexpensive. It is used for small items only, such as dice and buttons. Since about WWII, vegetable ivory has been largely replaced by plastics.

Synthetic Ivories

Since 1865, when it was first invented by Alexander Parkes, celluloid has been used as an excellent ivory substitute. Casein has also been used. Names for these "faux ivories" include French Ivory, Ivoride, Genuine French Ivory, Ivorine, etc. Both grain patterns and the engine turned effect are added -- in general, the patterns of these are very regular in the fakes, and more irregular in the real thing. In instances of very good imitations (i.e. using celluloid), chemical tests are required to tell real ivory and the fakes apart.

Books Dealing with the Identification of Ivory

Here are a few good books dealing with the identification of ivory:


Ivory by Geoffrey Wills. Published by AS Barnes & Co. First American Edition. Hardcover, 95 pgs. Indexed. Synopsis: covers ivory identification, care, and uses around the world. Many black and white photographs and line drawings.


Is It Ivory? by Harvey Shell. Published by Ahio Publishing Co., 1983. Paperback.

Identification Guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes Second Edition. by E. O. Espinoza. Published by the World Wildlife Fund, 1992. Paperback.