Based on a photo from Cobb’s archive at the University of Washington, reproduced here, it appears that this trio of poles was part of his private collection of Alaska Native art in 1909 and has remained together for over 115 years. The three poles are displayed in the photo on a fireplace mantle in a home in Washington, DC, and are surrounded by a variety of objects from Alaska, including baskets from the Tlingit, Unangax, and Yup’ik peoples, spears, bows and arrows, and a large piece of whale baleen [2]. While it is not unusual for model poles by the same maker to remain together in the market, the connection between these poles and their association with a historic Alaskan and Seattle figure, and the long period that they have remained together is nothing short of extraordinary.

As noted, these poles are finely carved examples of this maker’s style, part of the larger body of work linked to Berry’s shop in the early 20th century [3]. Although the name of this maker has not yet been identified, there is a large body of his work to which this trio of poles belongs. Berry sold poles by this artist from his shop in Juneau and even used some of the designs to create figural castings in bronze and iron [4].

The two smaller poles depict the top and bottom of the Kiks.adi pole of Wrangell, Alaska, and feature a personified Glacier or Mountain, Frog, and Raven with Nestling Raven, and the other Raven with Nestling Raven, Beaver, and Frog, respectively. Both poles feature monoxylous pedestals that are mounted on chamfered bases. The larger pole is hollowed out in the back and depicts the Tlingit hero Dukt’ootl’, The Strong Man, who avenged his uncle’s death by rending a Sea Lion in half [5]. This exceptional carving depicts Dukt’ootl’ tearing a Sea Lion in half over a large Human Mask or Face, atop an inverted Octopus or Jellyfish that serves as a pedestal. The details of this pole make it impressive: the intestines of the Sea Lion adorning the head of Dukt’ootl’, the extended tongue of the Sea Lion and its carved whiskers, and the piercing between the legs of the main figure and the Sea Lion’s head all serve to set this carving apart.

1. John N. Cobb papers, 1876–1970. Archives West. https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv19167#overview. Accessed 22 September 2025.

2. The in situ photograph of the works can be viewed through the University of Washington’s digital collections at https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/loc/id/1696/rec/628 (Tlingit, Aleut, and Eskimo baskets, and Tlingit Woodcarving in House, District of Columbia, April 4, 1909. University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division, American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Images, Negative Number NA2751). Accessed 22 September 2025. Reproduced here with permission of the University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division. Please note, we have cropped the photograph here.

3. The Alaska State Library Historical Collection has several historic archival photos of Albert Berry and his Alaska Artisans Arts and Crafts Shop, including: ASL-P87-0976, ASL-P87-0975, and ASL-P87-2435.

4. Fireplace Tools and Andirons. Alaska’s Digital Archives. https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg21/id/734/rec/4. Accessed 22 September 2025.

5. Strong Man Told by Frank G. Johnson. https://tlingitlanguage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/dukhtootl.pdf. Accessed 22 September 2025.

Christopher W. Smith