Example of lumberjack scrimshaw work. Image from the New Brunswick Museum.
LUMBERJACKS | ALL IN A DAY’S WORK
While a sailor might put a ship in a bottle, lumberjacks were not to be outdone in their scrimshaw work. This wood, ivory, bead and wool structure derives from a religious impulse, as the bells and cross indicate. Priests and ministers rarely visited lumber camps, given their relative isolation. The creator of this sculpture was obviously a lumberjack who wanted to keet his faith alive.
CANADIANA FUN FACT
When a priest or minister arrived in camp, the cookhouse served as a church since it was often the place with the most space.
