Charlie James was a prominent and influential Kwakwaka’wakw carver known for his ceremonial masks, monumental totem poles and feast dishes, and model poles and paddles. James was the patriarch of an extended family of Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw master artists that included Mungo Martin (1879-1962), Ellen Neel (1916-1966), Henry Hunt (1923-1985), and numerous descendants today, such as Lou-ann Neel and David Neel. James model poles were widely collected by private collectors and public institutions in his lifetime. William Webber was a major seller of James’ work through his Vancouver-based Thunderbird Scenery Shop. Webber’s archives, with significant holdings of James’ work and associated ephemera, are held at the Museum of Vancouver.

This model pole features a Thunderbird with spread wings over a Human figure that’s holding a smaller Human head and an upside-down Copper. The wings of the Thunderbird are individually pegged into the pole, which is mounted on a handmade chamfered base. The legs of the Thunderbird are pierced and fully carved out from the body of the Thunderbird, and the pole is painted in what looks like Chinese vermilion (red), green, and black. James signed his name on the back of the left wing and the back of the pole.

Christopher W. Smith