Ivory model of a comb, probably from the Eastern Arctic

Ivory model of a comb, probably from the Eastern Arctic. It is part of a collection of ethnographic material made by Admiral Sir George Back (1796-1878).

The item would have been made for sale to Europeans and Back met Inuit anxious to trade ivory carvings in Hudson Strait on 12 August 1819 and 5 August 1836 (there was a tradition of ivory carving established on Baffin Island).

Object Details

ID: AAA2623
Collection: World Cultures
Type: Model
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Unknown
Date made: 1819-1837; 1819-37 1833-7
Exhibition: The Atlantic: Slavery, Trade, Empire; Trade and Commerce
People: Back, George
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection
Measurements: Overall: 5 x 50 x 25 mm