Featured 3 Northwest Coast Pieces Souvenirs? Commercial?

#2 is an offshore piece of copycat nothing......

 

Also looks like the Lloyd's did a fair amount of jewelry.
It looks to me,that as with Coins (the same coin can be worth 1.00 up to 5 or 10 K depending on condition & strike),You'd always want to talk to an expert like Komo-IF You have any suspicions your NW 1st Nations piece might be 19th century,or a poss museum piece.
To a trained eye,I'd imagine there are big differences between a $500 mask & a 5K one.

 

Wadhams, a good old Kwakwaka'wakw family. Younger member Cheryl Wadhams is notable for being one of the small number of female Northwest Coast carvers.
Here's an older mask by Lloyd Wadhams (Sr.)

 

yum !!!

I've been after a bracelet of his......but the name carries weight.....

 

He did some nice metalwork. I found a very sweet bracelet by Cheryl, who didn't usually work in metal at that time - the inscription states that she made it with the assistance of one of her uncles, as a gift to the other uncle. Can't quote the exact wording because my wife is wearing it....
Sad that it ended up in a pawn shop.
Further eye candy and amusing because of the similarity is the tiny mask on a necklace below the Wadhams - it is about 2" tall; by Russell Smith.

 

now him....I collect !
not many pieces....but a few that show his talent.....

sold a mask of his last year...

 

All-Fakes,may I ask how you got your name ? You and CXGirl are up in the Pac NW (I'm 3 1/2 hrs South). If I was on Vancouver Island/the Gulf Islands-I'd be pickin' every week for 1st Nations.NW Coast Tribes produced some of the best carvers of ANY civilization that's ever lived (not the tourist crackhead crap)-the real artist creations.Some of the newly crafted stuff is right up there too-the younger really talented need to be encouraged (and will be much cheaper).But you need an educated eye to discern the difference-then,the finer creations will begin to sing to you.

 

The name - I wanted to separate my ebay buying ID from one I used for posting on the old ebay boards; and I was very active in recognizing fake NW Coast Native art, and writing ebay guides (when there were such things) about those fakes. At times it seemed that at least half of the ebay listings in the native categories were imported fakes.
And when I migrated from the sad ebay boards to this good one, I kept the name.
In addition to following fakes, I have some specialization in collecting NW Coast Native art, and maintaining a non-profit web presence related to the carvers from Metlakatla AK, and from the Alert Bay/Blunden Harbor-Smith Inlet sub-areas of the Kwakwaka’wakw people.
And I'm a musician. Which makes sense, because as Bosko says, good art sings.

 

At the risk of taking this thread in a bad direction - Looking for thoughts on vintage tourist items . . let's say the 1940's-50's period. I'm finding some of them somewhat likeable despite not be created by skilled artists. . . but rather almost as kitsch art created by folks who were connected to the community, if not actually historically part of it. Being 65-75 years old now put's them in a different category then the newer pieces IMO. Prices seem to make them attainable for the lower end of the market. Pictured, one claimed to be 50's ?

 

If you like them as kitsch I'm not going to argue, and the one shown might be 50s to 60s; but as far as being made by folks connected to the community one might be a bit cautious or skeptical. In former times (and not much different now) some of the items sold at "trading posts" or as "tourist items" were actually imports with no native connection at all.
I'm not familiar with the one shown, but one common category dating back to the 50s or 60s I call the "sad-eyed totems" or sometimes "angry-eyed."
It was made in Taiwan; and like yours, shows zero stylistic details owing anything to real NW Coast Native art or native totempoles. But if it is cheap and you like it, I can't argue. I've seen quite nice kitsch collections of 60s era "Route 66 Kachinas," many imported; but because they were so commonly sold, could be considered a facet of American history.

 

I'm thinking a Cub Scout Merit Badge project.Taiwanese Cub Scouts that is.

 

bad direction - Looking for thoughts on vintage tourist items . . let's say the 1940's-50's period.,,,,,,,,,,,,

rule of thumb....
always, with minor exceptions...

from Seattle to Yakutat Bay .... the Pacific Northwest Coast 1st Nations consider the early 30's to early 50's as the dead time.
Very few carvers...doing very little cultural work....of any note whatsoever..!

Some basket work was still done .......some weaving on the Island...but not much else.

 

Kachina Lodge,Taos,NM-Where we stayed 25 years ago.The actual 13th Century Pueblo nearby aint bad either.

 

Komokwa-I'm thinking the early 'Missionary Schools' established in the PNW didn't encourage the 'Students' to explore and practice the creation of indigenous art ...? (or respectful burial practices).

 

Informative, thanks. I do like the larger size at 25"

 

I do not wish to engage on the topic of Residential Schools.......

 

Very sad-nuff said.

 

Impulsively decided to buy something which seems to be of more substance instead. Stands 13"

 

Signature ? By the way Drew,do you live in the Pac NW ?

 

No signature. I live in Mass.