Scrimshaw exemplifies both the disjuncture and melding of life and imagination. Fashioned from organic byproducts of the whaling industry, these real-life materials—baleen, bone, and other remains extracted from whales and marine mammals—were used to create utilitarian and fanciful forms, often witty and highly embellished. The heyday of the American whaling industry occurred between the late eighteenth through the late nineteenth centuries. Voyages typically lasted from three to five years and saw long hours of tedium only sporadically relieved by whale sightings and ensuing activities. Scrimshaw emerged as an artform that helped to relieve the monotony and that yielded personal gifts for loved ones waiting on shore.

The elegant design and expertise evident in the crafting of this birdcage indicate a long familiarity with the tools and materials that went into its creation. Joseph W. Clapp of Nantucket Island was a master mariner and signed on as first mate aboard the Napoleon on December 24, 1858. After he retired from whaling, Clapp created a bird sanctuary in Peru. He remained there for many years before returning near the end of his life to Nantucket, where he was remembered strolling the streets with his pets in their cages.