Captain Andrew Brown was a prolific Haida carver in the first half of the 20th century, especially known for his eccentric model poles in argillite and wood. Unlike many of his contemporaries, who would create argillite poles with strict bilateral symmetry adhering to formal Haida conventions, Brown frequently made intentionally asymmetrical pieces that combined abstracted and naturalistic figures and elements. Many of his pieces also explored themes of transformation and would illustrate customary Haida stories. Brown appears to have been a friend of Canadian anthropologist and curator Marius Barbeau (1883-1969), who featured his model poles in some of the earliest books on argillite carving and often collected Brown’s work for Canadian museums. This exposure and thorough documentation within Brown’s own lifetime ensured that he was one of the most familiar and widely collected argillite carvers of the 20th century.

This diminutive model pole is representative of Brown’s later work, with wider crosshatching and more compact figures. The pole features, from the top: an Eagle finial, a Human/Bird transformational figure (perhaps Raven), and a Beaver holding a stick with stacked basketry rings on its head. The pole is mounted on a beveled argillite base with a mottled pattern carved into its surface.

Christopher W. Smith