President John F. Kennedy collected scrimshaw, which is artwork carved into a whale’s tooth.
In 1962, for what would be JFK’s last Christmas, the First Lady Jackie gave him a 9.5 inch scrimshaw of the presidential seal, made by artist Milton Delano.
It was part of an extensive collection of scrimshaws made by New England whalers, and Kennedy evidently loved it. He had it placed on his desk on a special whale tooth base.
Although Kennedy’s collection can be viewed online at the Kennedy library site, Jackie’s 1962 present is not there. It was buried with the president after his assassination in November 1963.
