Collection:
Juneau—Douglas City Museum
Object ID:
2006.15.001
Accession#:
2006.15
Credit Line:
Donated by Dick McCormick.
Object Name:
Painting
Title:
Tlingit Formline "Wasgo" Painting on Burlap by F. James
Date:
01/01/1955
Description:
Tlingit formline painting on burlap, stapled to a thin black wooden frame. Burlap is brown, image is painted in red, black, and blue—green, and may have been done with a felt—tip marker. Image shows a side view of a wolf—like running formline creature with long snout, tall ears, clawed feet, and a curled tail. A toothed whale—like creature is jumping through the tail of the running animal, and another whale—like creature leaps between its ears. Signature in lower proper left corner, "F. James".
Notes:
One creature is derived from a well—known design, Haida creature "Wasgo" and Tlingit call it the "Gunakadet" (Sea Wolf), probably copied from an image in a book.

Painting likely done by Frank James of Douglas. Donor got them from a friend who used to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and had a garage sale. She didn't know much about them, either.

Steve Henriskon, Curator at the Alaska State Museum, says there is very little of this kind of thing in any collection from this period. He thinks they are from the late 1950's or early 1960's and are "period pieces" that would not have been made for the market or for sale, but for private use in the home. Frank James also did a model totem pole that is in the Alaska State Museum collection.
People:
James, Frank; McCormick, Richard
Search Terms:
native
tlingit
fine arts
painting
ethnographic