Sea Captain Figure

ca. 1850

Haida

It was the Pacific Ocean that brought the first non-Natives to the Northwest Coast to map, chart and study the coast for potential commerce. This fine fellow probably represents an English or New England sea captain. Although their clothing and their ships must have seemed strange to the Haida, this artist faithfully recorded the details of the captain's cap, waistcoat, trousers and boots.

Argillite and stone

12 1/8 x 4 1/8 x 2 in. (30.8 x 10.48 x 5.08 cm)

Gift of John H. Hauberg

91.1.106

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, The Box of Daylight, Sept. 15, 1983 - Jan. 8, 1984.

Seattle, Washington, The Museum: Mixed Metaphors, Fred Wilson, Jan. 28 - June 13, 1993.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Documents International: Reflections in the Mirror: A World of Identity, Apr. 23, 1998 - June 20, 1999.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, American Art: The Stories We Carry, Oct. 20, 2022 - ongoing.

Published ReferencesThe Spirit Within: Northwest Coast Native Art from the John H. Hauberg Collection, Seattle Art Museum, 1995, pg. 150

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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