The saucy scrimshaws included in a new exhibit at the Vancouver Maritime Museum are making waves among some visitors.

The Tattoos & Scrimshaw: The Art of the Sailor exhibit includes about two dozen carvings in sperm whale teeth dating back to the mid-19th century. Some are depictions of sexual acts, while others are carved with romantic poems, dedications to long-lost loves, “a peep at the mermaid,” words expressing sailors’ longing for land, and more than a few topless ladies.

“I really think the public needs to know about this. I’m really concerned,” said Ann Pimentel. She took her two sons, aged two and three, on Saturday and was “totally appalled” some of the scrimshaws depicted graphic sexual images — “whale bone porn,” as she called them.

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE (nudity depicted)

“Oral sex, masturbation, a penis on one of them, people having sex in the images ... anyone under the age of 18 shouldn’t be seeing these images.”

“It’s an opportunity for us to show some diversity in our collection, which is rich,” said Simon Robinson, the museum’s executive director. “I don’t think we would provide an exhibit to provoke. That wasn’t the intention at all. The erotica is part of the craft.”

Pimentel complained to staff, and now a sign warning some images may not be appropriate for a young audience is posted by the entry to the exhibit. Staff mentioned the sensitive nature of some artifacts to visitors Wednesday, and Robinson said school tour guides are mindful of the content.

But Pimentel, a special needs educator who works in the Langley school district would prefer the carvings were moved to a less visible spot or removed altogether. (The raciest carvings are housed in a three-by-three display case, with the highest about seven feet off the ground, and a small sign saying “hide your eyes!” has always been in place.)

“It needs to be in an isolated room, it needs to be clearly marked, where a child or anyone under 18 can’t see them,” she said, adding she will not be recommending the exhibit to colleagues, and she can no longer trust the museum.

“As a parent and as a teacher, it’s important to keep our children’s eyes protected from this stuff.”

But Robinson said most of the feedback about the exhibit had been positive, and the normally sedate museum wasn’t courting controversy by delving into this part of maritime history.

There was plenty of downtime on-board during whaling trips, and scrimshandering — carving into a whale’s ivory, bone or teeth — became a popular pastime. And with young men at sea for years at a time, it’s no wonder some of the carvings depict certain earthly desires.

“It’s not my job to censor what is a prominent part of the craft,” Robinson said. “Scrimshankers were young guys, a lot of the themes are returning to port, and it’s an undeniable part of the art.”

In the past, history buffs and school groups mostly visited the museum to climb aboard the St. Roch schooner and learn about pirates. At last week’s sold-out opening, about 200 people showed up, many of whom were young and tattooed.

Tattoos originated in the west when sailors returned from island destinations like Polynesia, where locals were heavily inked. Over time, the indelible hula girls, anchors and sparrows came to mean a station in Hawaii, surviving an ocean crossing, and experience on the sea.

One father touring the museum with his 13-year-old son said he wasn’t worried about the scrimshaws corrupting young minds.

“You can tell what they were thinking of when out at sea for two years,” said Dave Hutchinson, visiting from Victoria.

“They didn’t have the Internet back then,” he told his son, laughing.

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE (nudity depicted)

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