The ice Cutter "Bear" was built in 1874 in Scotland as a seal hunting ship and used for arctic exploration. It became famous when it was purchased by the U.S. government & sent to rescue the Greely Expedition which was stranded without supplies in the far north. Using blueprints from the Smithsonian this ivory model was built for Mel Quakenbush of Fairbanks, Alaska by Dale Brown. It is made of both walrus & mastadon ivory with baleen cap rail and it rests on a slab of jade. It is about 2' long.
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