Woles: Historical

Showing posts with label Historical. Show all posts

Sunday, 9 April 2017

Historical Paddle Art Robert Griffings The Paddle Painter

Artist Robert Griffing is well known for his historical art depicting Eastern Woodland peoples and the 18th Century Eastern frontier. Many of his paintings feature bark canoes and decorated paddles. One of his new releases is entitled, "The Paddle Painter" and features a calming scene of a how a paddle might have been decorated with natural pigments in years gone by...

"The Paddle Painter"

©Robert Griffing

Link: http://www.lordnelsons.com/gallery/frontier/griffing/93.htm

The snake like pattern on the blade along with the red wavy borders is a common theme I've seen in some of his other artworks. Most notably in another stunning piece called "Into the Unknown"

"Into the Unknown" by Robert Griffing - ©Robert Griffing
LORD NELSON'S GALLERY - GETTYSBURG, PA - 800-664-9797

Original Link: http://www.lordnelsons.com/gallery/frontier/griffing/67.htm

The pattern may be based on some model paddles dated to 1740-1750 and documented in Timothy Kent's marvelous publication, Birchbark Canoes of the Fur Trade (ISBN: 0-9657230-0-3 ). Figure 86 illustrates some decorated paddles that were made in New France to accompany a souvenir canoe model. The third paddle from the left features this serpentine patten with the scalloped border.

Figure 86. Paddles fashioned ca. 1740s-1750s in New France to accompany a Type A-1 voyaging canoe model and figurines. Original Link

Not sure of the significance, but the snake-like pattern is one featured in another form of Woodland Art - native pictographs. One of the most famous is the Panel VIII pictograph on Agawa Rock in Lake Superior Provincial Park. It features a representation of a canoe with the Great Lynx Mishibizhiw who controlled Lake Superior. Below are two giant underwater serpents called Mishi-ginebikoog in the Ojibwe language.

Source Link

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Historical Paddle Painting William Armstrong

While browsing through The National Art Gallery of Canada's online site, I came across a painting that contained a pictorial representation of a decorated native paddle.

William Armstrong
Hudson's Bay Store, Fort William c. 1860-1870
National Gallery of Canada (no. 30490)
The seated figure on the left (veiled woman?) seems to be holding a thin paddle (narrow algonquin/ottertail style) with a yellow and red checkered design. Unfortunately the grip area is obscured by the placement of her hands.

Paddle Closeup

Monday, 6 March 2017

Historical Paddle Photo Update and Correction

Found out a correction to one of my favourite classic paddling photos...

Original Post & Photo Source HERE

When I first came across this photo on the Wooden Canoe forums, no one could identify who the people were (although there was agreement on the canoe builder). Later in 2011 I had come across an Ebay ad with this same photo claiming the individuals were actors Joel McCrea & Maureen O'Sullivan so added this bit of info to the post. At the time there was no source to the movie still.

While searching for more canoe related movie pics, I recently stumbled on the same image on Emovieposter.com and discovered some more details as well as a noted correction.

Turns out the photo is a still from the 1934 film The Richest Girl in the World and the actress in canoe is not Maureen O'Sullivan (the original Jane in the Tarzan films) but rather Fay Wray, the female lead in the original King Kong movie (1933). Being Canadian born might explain why she looks very comfortable lounging around in a canoe.

The wikipedia post for the film also includes a colourized film poster that features a mirrored image of this still in the bottom corner.

Wikipedia Fair use Policy
File:The Richest Girl in the World.jpg
Uploaded by Laboris Dulcedo
Uploaded: 19 November 2013

Now that I knew who the folks were in the canoe, I did some more digging and found another photo still of the scene, although I much prefer the first photo

Link Source