Wonderful c. Mid 19th Century Whaler Made Scrimshaw Ladies Leg Bodkin pair of stone fruit pears and would guess this dates

and would guess this dates close to the former

but really taking on a life of its own as a form of creative expression

but couldn't not do so--truly among my very favorite ex voto retablos I've ever seen

The mat on which the watercolor floats looks a bit pinkish in photos but is cream/neutral

but maybe more likely the wood was repurposed from something else

Wonderful c. Mid 19th Century Whaler Made Scrimshaw Ladies Leg Bodkin pair of stone fruit pears and would guess this datesI splurged a bit on this one by my standards, purchased from an longtime New England dealer, but I didn't think twice: what a wonderful example of a folk art scrimshaw bodkin, which would have been made by a whaler sailor as a gift to bring home to a sweetheart. Bodkins were once common implements, used for making lace, threading ribbon or cord through fabric casings necklines, waistbands, etc and more. I've seen some fancy ones around these parts,