As mentioned in Lots 33 and 42, Mungo Martin learned to carve and paint from his stepfather, Charlie James.

This interesting and early pole was purported by Wilhelm Helmer [1], the original seller, to have been started by James but finished by Martin. There are good reasons to believe this is true: Helmer was a knowledgeable and active early 20th-century field collector of Kwakwakaʼwakw art, and several pieces he collected are now held in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The features of the pole itself support this claim, too, reflecting an amalgam of both James’s and Martin’s styles. The overall sculptural ‘roughout’ of the pole aligns more with James’s style, while several finishing details, such as the large eyes of the two primary figures and the chunky feet of the Thunderbird, align with Martin’s.

Given the different level of refinement and heavy patina when compared to Lot 42, it’s clear that this piece is early in Martin’s oeuvre. It is even probable that this was an instructive work, with James teaching Martin by having them carve and paint it together. Through extant examples, it’s known that this collaborative, hands-on approach was used by James in teaching crest designs to his granddaughter, Ellen Neel [2]. So, it is likely that he would have done something similar with Martin. All told, this pole is an early, important, and significant work in the trajectory of Mungo Martin’s artistic career.

1. Several Kwakwakaʼwakw works that were previously under the remit of Wilhelm Helmer that are now in the National Museum of the American Indian, include: Mungo Martin, Staff, no. 23/8255; Chief Willie Seaweed, Potlatch figure, no. 23/8258; and Chief Willie Seaweed, Screen, no. 23/9493

2. See Charlie James and Ellen Neel (nee Newman) sketchbook, c. 1900-29 (AA 2779a-p) in the collection of the Museum of Vancouver.

CWS