It can be said that one of the former presidents of the United States, President John F. Kennedy, was partly responsible for drawing attention to the collection of ancient carved whale teeth, history and beauty during his tenure and even after. of his death. A book was even written titled John F. Kennedy: Scrimshaw Collector by Clare Barnes detailing the JFK collection. It could be said that Kennedy’s collection of ancient carved whale teeth began when he was young, when he spent time on Cape Cod and Boston near the water. It is known that he grew up sailing and had always had a fascination with the sea. He also served in the United States Navy, where he was honored with a Purple Heart medal. His actual collection did not begin until his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, presented him with an antique carved whale tooth upon entering the presidential office.
Whaling historian Clifford Ashley said that the gift of a whale tooth was a “wish to present a distant friend with a trophy of whaling, a huge tooth which in actual conflict had threatened [the giver] and now it was a symbol of his success.” For Kennedy, perhaps the whale tooth represented the life he admired and something to live for, the dangerous and romantic life at sea experienced by himself and the whalers of the 19th century.
Some photos of Kennedy show him sitting in the Oval Office with several carved ancient whale teeth on his desk. Even his desk, given to him by England and called the Resolute Desk, was made from the remains of the Resolute warship that was salvaged from the Arctic by a whaling ship in 1885. It is said that people sent him ancient carved whale teeth as gifts . but only approvingly, as he was very particular about what he collected. Kennedy was very interested in collecting ancient whale teeth carved from historical figures, including former presidents. He also collected many ancient scrimshaw whale teeth with sailing ships and whalers.
It is interesting to note that Kennedy sometimes gave away antique carved whale teeth. One tooth in particular was presented to Swedish actress Greta Garbo after her visit and dinner at the White House on November 13, 1963. Nine days later, Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. This whale tooth was perhaps the last gift he gave. before his death. It was not known that the whale tooth was given to Garbo and employees of the Kennedy Museum and Library had always wondered where the “lost JFK tooth” was. In 2000, an employee of the Library’s collection researched the transcripts and letters sent and received by the Kennedys where they found this message in a note written to Mrs. Kennedy de Garbo: “It was a most unusual evening for me that I spent with you in the White House. It was really fascinating and charming. I could believe it was a dream if I didn’t have the president’s ‘tooth’ in front of me.” The tooth was loaned to the library by Garbo’s niece and heiress, during an exhibition detailing relics from Kennedy’s life.
In 1962, Jacqueline Kennedy commissioned a large whale tooth to be polished and carved by sculptor Milton Delano as a Christmas gift to the president. The tooth has the presidential seal etched into the whale tooth. JFK thought so much about the tooth that Jacqueline Kennedy buried it with the tooth in her coffin.