This a mastodon ivory with a curving of Woodrow Wilson on it. Mastodon means mammoth, which makes this item one of the oldest artifacts that the Wilson House has. The tusk was given to Wilson in 1918 as a gift from the governor of the Territory of Alaska, Thomas Riggs. It came into Riggs’ possession shortly after the artist, Happy Jack, died of Spanish influenza. Happy Jack was known as the “King of Ivory Carvers” and created the carving of Wilson using a picture of Wilson from an old magazine and a basic scrimshaw technique.
Artworks