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Image

A tan colored tool with decorative handle and a textured wheel. The handle has a cutout in the middle of it.
A tan colored tool with decorative handle and a textured wheel. The handle has a cutout in the middle of it.
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  • A tan colored tool with decorative handle and a textured wheel. The handle has a cutout in the middle of it.
  • A tan colored tool with decorative handle and a textured wheel. The handle has a cutout in the middle of it.

Shubael Lewis

Pie Crimper or Jagging Wheel
Now On View

Description

Maker

Shubael Lewis (American, active early 1800s)

Title

Pie Crimper or Jagging Wheel

Year

early 1800s

Medium

  • Marine ivory and metal

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Marine ivory and metal

Materials

ivory

Dimensions

17.1 cm (6 3/4 inches) (length)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Miss Edith H. Williston

Object Number

21.268

Type

  • Ivory

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Trading Earth
Ceramics, Commodities, and Commerce
Apr 09, 2022 – Jul 20, 2025

Label copy

Sugar found its way into many desserts, including pies, rich custards and puddings made with cream and eggs, and ice cream, which was quite a novelty in the 1700s. Used to cut and seal the dough of pie crusts, pie crimpers were carved from marine ivory by sailors on whaling ships. The names of the makers of these wares, especially the men of color, are, unfortunately, often unknown. However, this  example is believed to have been made by Shubael Lewis of Tisbury, Massachusetts, whose skin was identified as “dark” on whaling crewmen lists, which noted each sailor’s age, height, and eye, hair, and skin color.

Use & Feedback

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Shubael Lewis (American, active early 1800s)
Pie Crimper or Jagging Wheel, early 1800s
Marine ivory and metal
17.1 cm (6 3/4 inches) (length)
Gift of Miss Edith H. Williston 21.268

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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