Antique Sailor Made Scrimshawed Ruler and Presumed Busk Fragment photo of girl holding mirror 17 3/4" x 9 3/4"

17 3/4" x 9 3/4" framed

and the patina here is gorgeous

There is clipped newspaper text glued ( and shellacked over) to the piece on one side

and then the charmer of a face poking up at the other end

(And a great preliminary sketch on the reverse side

Antique Sailor Made Scrimshawed Ruler and Presumed Busk Fragment photo of girl holding mirror 17 3/4" x 9 3/4"I'll never resist a handmade ruler, all the more so a sailor whaler made one, this one measuring seven inches. I found it along with what I believe is a fragment from a busk a common form for scrimshawing, to bring home to wives and sweethearts for use in corsets. The decoration on this one is minimal, but very fine, perhaps meant for a name to be engraved inside of it. Earlier than later 19th century New England I believe, lovely things. Ruler