Scrimshaw refers to crafted bones, including the teeth, of whales or other sea mammals, such as elephants for example. Of unclarified etymology, the term scrimshaw first appears in 1826, in the logbook of the ship By Chance in order to describe precisely the aforementioned fine works of art. Since then this term has been considered as the most suitable for this specific artistic expression.

Quite popular from the mid-18th to the end of the 19th century, scrimshaws occupy special place in nautical history and art, primarily due to their engraving, painting or carving. Some are less detailed; others are very picturesque, scrimshaws constitute works of art of unique historical importance.

Specimens of historicity of social strata, which rarely leave their traces in time, scrimshaws contribute to the reconstruction of the historical fabric known as bottom-up approach. There’s no doubt that the conditions that favored this specific technique were the availability of large quantities of raw material but much more the need for artistic creation, for expression, and certainly the availability of time of the whaling crew during their long voyages. What if the engravers will never be known? The themes they chose and the elegance even of the most ‘’imperfect’’ specimens, complete a section of naval history but also of artistic activity of early modernity, about which we would hardly derive information. Whether they are depictions of ships and boats, of the cetaceans themselves, of sailors and/or of loved ones, or even symbols such as "love", "freedom", "forget-me-not", and so on, the themes are fully in tune with the times; especially with regards to the latter, the cards of corresponding themes (forget-me-not), which used to circulate in England, are typical of the times.

Scrimshaws have preoccupied historians for decades. There are several publications and comprehensive catalogs. This specific engraving continues, but certainly not on bones of whales or other mammals! The use of those materials has been banned worldwide.

The Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation has one of the richest scrimshaw collections in Greece.