John Cross was an Eagle Clan Chief in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, and a well-known and respected carver in argillite, silver, and wood. Cross was perhaps best known for his model poles in argillite and silver bracelets and spoons, many of which now reside in institutions such as the UBC Museum of Anthropology, Museum of Vancouver, British Museum, Penn Museum, The UW Burke Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. John Cross has also been identified “as one of seventeen Haida artists who were noted as having worked on a set of 29 model houses from Skidegate that were commissioned for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.” [1]

An argillite model pole that features an inverted cetacean (porpoise or killer whale?) over a bear holding a frog. Although unsigned, this model pole is almost certainly the work of Haida artist John Cross. It’s been noted that Cross never signed any of his argillite piece (although collectors or others may have), [2] but there are stylistic reasons to assign his hand to this work. The rounded eyes on the bear, frog, and killer whale are all diagnostically Cross, as are the proportions of the head of the bear to its body and limbs. The well-formed ovoids and elongated u-forms on the pectoral fins and flukes on the cetacean are also strongly indicative of Cross’s design style and connect this piece to other argillite poles by him. Please note: the dorsal fin of the top figure has been broken off and is missing and there are minor losses throughout the bottom and back edges of the pole.

1. John Cross biography. Museum of Anthropology online database. http://collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/search/person?person=619&tab=biography. Accessed April 10, 2024.

2. ibid.

Christopher W. Smith