Framed ‘Comb’ (Remnant Two) - Made to Order

The tale of Mary Venn’s lost scrimshawed comb, block-printed on a laundered C19th hemp sack, with an artfully worked recessed patch. The piece floats within a handmade, glazed frame; the moulding, slip and mount are painted in fine layers of ‘Salon Drab Dead Flat’ (customers can specify their own colour). Accompanying the work is an affecting backstory - conceived by Cameron - typed out on paper and enveloped. It reads:

By the time Mary Venn lost her comb in 1771, whaling in Britain was a thriving business. Hunted mainly for the oil derived from their blubber, whales also provided baleen - known as whalebone - for the creation of all manner of domestic items; the hair comb being one such example.

After each catch, crew members were allotted a share of whalebone out of which some carved gifts for their families; it was one way of relieving the boredom on long voyages. The things they made were often engraved with maritime scenes - an art form called ‘scrimshaw’. The design on Mary’s comb is typical, and it was almost certainly created aboard a whaler, possibly by a father, brother or cousin, with her in mind.

Given the comb’s unique beauty and personal nature, it’s no wonder Mary was deeply saddened by its loss. Who knows, she may have had even greater reason to grieve; perhaps the maker of the comb had since been lost at sea?

Notwithstanding her anguish, there is a certain poetry in the comb’s demise. Indeed, it is fitting that the resting place of an object made from whalebone should be a watery wasteland, with Ely Cathedral - known as the ‘Ship of the Fens’ - anchored close by.

Dimensions - Width: 85cm Height: 104cm

Artist: Janet Tristram | Stitcher: Janet Tristram | Writer: Cameron Short