Carved argillite sea captain figure, with inlaid ivory face. Upright standing male figure, on rounded rectangular base, with arms down at sides but curving toward front. Figure is wearing a long coat and pants with flower buttons, pointed shoes, and a brimmed hat over curly hair. His right hand holds a dog against his front, in profile. Left hand is in his pocket. Cross-hatched design on dog's body.

• Narrative

  Donor purchased the figure from an auction in Ottawa; auction notes say it was being sold from a private collection in B.C.

• History Of Use

  Argillite carvings were considered curios by the European and Euro-American seamen and traders who purchased them from their Haida makers in the mid 1800s, and by the generations of collectors who later displayed them in their “curiosity cabinets” as exotic souvenirs. Made in a context of encounter and exchange by artists whose names were not recorded, these carvings have accumulated histories that, like the places they have travelled, are no longer known. The figure marks a moment preceding the devastating impacts of smallpox and colonization on the Northwest Coast, and belongs to a continuum of argillite carving that has been maintained by Haida artists to the present day.

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• Type of Item figure
• Culture Haida
• Material argillite stone, whale tooth
• Measurements height 46.5 cm, width 15.0 cm, depth 11.5 cm (overall)

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• Previous Owner Elspeth McConnell
• Received from Elspeth McConnell

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• Made in British Columbia

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• Creation Date between 1840 and 1860
• Ownership Date before April 12, 2018
• Acquisition Date on April 12, 2018

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• Item Classes carvings & sculpture
• Condition good
• Current Location Case 8
• Accession Number 3261/0003