Circa 1860 "Pleasing the Spirits" paddle up for auction (again)

Bonham's  Auctions is featuring a circa 1860 paddle in their upcoming NATIVE AMERICAN & TRIBAL ART auction, set for 8 November 2023. LOT 84 features "A Northeastern Woodlands canoe paddle" which might be familiar to readers of this blog.

A Northeastern Woodlands canoe paddle

Malecite(?), c. 1860s

63 3/4 in.

Provenance: Private collection, New York. 
Collected in the St. John's River area of New Brunswick, Canada.

The uniquely carved stepped grip of this paddle features some floral incised decorative elements.

This paddle was originally illustrated in an exhibition catalog from 1982, Pleasing the Spirits. A Catalogue of a collection of American Indian Art by Douglas C. Ewing, Page 385, plate 474. It was up for auction back in 2009 where it fetched a realized price $2500 after being valued at $700. It seems to have been up for auction again in 2017. I made a replica from maple back in 2020 and it has become one of my favourites for relaxed solo paddling. Hopefully this treasure will go to a good home where it will be valued for the historic piece that it is.

Nov 10 2023 Update: Paddle sold for $3200 US (including buyer's premium)

Paddle Related Reading: Cabin Collectibles by Ralph R. Kylloe

Cabin collectibles by Ralph R. Kylloe (2000) is available to digitally borrow on Archive.org. The opening chapter discusses the use of paddles and canoes as decorative objects. The section is well illustrated with photos as well as as generic descriptions of grip styles...

Decorative carved antique

A curiously carved canoe paddle is currently featured on  LiveAuctioneers. The 58-1/2" paddle features an elaborate grip carved with a roll-top grip with scrolled and curved patterns on the palm rest. Also curious is a carved section in the middle of the shaft where deep notches and cross hatch pattern has been worked into the wood. 

Source Link

Full-Sized Hudson Museum c1900 Penobscot Replica

 Many years ago, I came across a beautifully sculpted paddle being sold at auction. It was cited as a Penobscot design but was somewhat unique as it was carved from softwood rather than typical Wabanaki paddles. A long one at 77", the paddle showed signs of usage but also featured a delicately shaped grip complete with floral and geometric etchings.

Rather than ending up in an obscure private collection, the paddle was purchased by the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine. Additional photos taken by the museum of the opposite side revealed the grip etchings had remnants of red paint matching the blade.

The museum has now added the paddle to their Wabanaki  gallery as seen in this YouTube footage and it looks to be right at home in front of a 19 foot Penobscot bark canoe.

Back in 2012, I made a reduced-scaled, shorter version of this from a piece of Sassafras and burned the decoration. I've used it on occasion, but decided to make a full sized, 77" replica from a clear section of of a 2 by 10 spruce board. I started the initial shaping with an axe and have been steadily working on it on thinning out the blade with a crooked knife.

Given all the late season distraction work done on the Trapper Canoe restoration, work on this paddle was a little slow. Eventually it was shaped down and scraped smooth ready for the decoration just as the weather turned

The etching on the handle was replicated with a rotary tool and the cavities filled with opaque, red milk paint. The blade was also painted while the bright spruce was stained with a gel stain in order to mimic the weathered patina of the original. On Christmas Day, we were gifted with 15 cm of fresh snow that made taking photos even more picturesque. 

At 77" with a nearly 3 foot long blade this is the longest paddle I've attempted. Should be great for some stand-up paddling once paddling season begins again in the spring.

Late 19th Century Chippewa Paddle

Cisco's Gallery is featuring another unique antique paddle. Described as a "Chippewa canoe paddle with scroll carving at top", the paddle was apparently found along the Fox River, Wisconsin buried. Found along the Fox River, Wisconsin stuck in the shoreline mud. 

Chippewa Canoe Paddle

PERIOD: Late 19th Century

ORIGIN: Wisconsin

SIZE: 53"; Blade 5"

Source Link

The lengthy flattened grip has a simple roll top and features a scroll pattern near the top, created by boring four holes and carving out curved spaces between them. The reverse spatulate blade shape culminates in broad tip that shows evidence of natural wear and chipping into a semi-rounded end. 

Grip and Blade closeups

The paddle features similar design elements to another piece (Lot 723) included in Cowan's 2004 American Indian Art Auction which was loosely identified as a "Great Lakes Maple Paddle".

Great Lakes Maple Paddle,

length = 66.5 inches

Provenance:Ex First People's Museum of the American Indian and Eskimo 

Source Link

mid-to-late 19th Century Adirondack Paddle with carved drip ring

A dated listing on WorthPoint.com showcases an antique Adirondack Guide paddle with a heavily cracked, but beautiful patina and a unique grip shape.

Adirondack Guide paddle

54 inches

The rounded grip handle cascades to an arrowhead motif atop a square shaped drip ring...

Grip Closeup

Quaver gripped antique paddle

Here's a very interesting paddle appearing in an Ebay Ad posted from Sainte-Martine, Quebec. This undated paddle has coat of faded red paint and a curve shouldered blade with notches at the neck.

58 1/4" long x 5 3/4"wide 

Most interesting is the grip end, which features an asymmetrical roll. The seller refers to the grip as having a "quaver" shape, referring to the shape of an 1/8th note in music. One side of it is rotten but red paint on the surface clearly shows this was the original shape and not simply a broken grip end.

These hook like asymm grips have been seen before in model canoe paddles sent over to Europe as part of the tourist trade. Most notably they are found in the paddles that accompanied the model canoe sent as a votive offering to the Cathedral de Chartres around 1760. See this post here.

Image Source Link:

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/nllefce/fr/mu_28000/11405_83.htm

The paddle grip is also discussed and illustrated briefly in Graham Warren's 100 Canoe Paddle Designs book.

100 Canoe Paddle Designs

by Graham Warren

March 2014. Raven Rock Books.

200 pages. A5. Spiral bound.

ISBN  0 9530352 2 0

Small Boats Monthly: Rollin Thurlow - Atkinson Traveler

A great online article by Donnie Mullen published on SmallBoatsMonthly.com discusses the paddling features of Rollin Thurlow's famed design, the Atkinson Traveler. Included in the article is a photo of Rollin and his shop assistant Elisa Schine using some Maine style paddles with beautiful grips.

Courtesy: Small Boats Monthly

Photo Credit: Donnie Mullen

Source Link

"N.S. Graves" Antique Birdseye Paddle

On March 25, 2017,  John McInnis Auctioneers will be hosted their 3-Day Spring Estates Auction. Lot 0604 is a 63 inch Birdseye Maple paddle which looks to be in very good condition. Unfortunately there is no date attributed to the paddle, but it does feature a unique carved grip. Indented into the wood at the base is the name "N.S. Graves."

LOT 0640 

N.S. GRAVES WOODEN PADDLE
Birdseye maple 

Length 63 inches

LOT 0640 

N.S. GRAVES WOODEN PADDLE 
Carved handle

Fixing an old failure - scarfing a grip onto a sassafras northwoods - Part 1

Here's an update on an old paddle failure. Back in 2012, I was working on my first sassafras paddle made from a thick 8/4 board, the only size I could source at the time. The inspiration for the paddle was a specimen in the Hudson Museum in Maine featuring a graceful, segmented grip

Hudson Museum Paddles

(Photo Credit: Bob Holtzman)
http://indigenousboats.blogspot.com

My blank had been crudely cut out with a wonky bandsaw, but the bulk of the work was going to be removing the stock with an axe and crooked knife.

The segmented grip was being worked down with a crooked knife and rasp...

Everything was going well when I had the urge to check the flex. The thinned out lower grip snapped at the base!

I was quite disappointed at this point and didn't want the paddle remnants to go to waste, so in the end both pieces were kept in the hopes of re-purposing them somehow. The grip was stored inside since it felt quite comfortable and I wanted to keep it as a future template. After mulling around for ideas to re-use the blade, it was, in the end, just relegated to a garden ornament...a kind of  paddle tombstone for a failed project.

However, earlier this summer there was an informative post on paddle repairs over on CanoeTripping.net. CanotRouge (aka David G) uploaded a series of photos of a repair on his wife's favourite paddle. It had also snapped at the base of the grip and he set about repairing it with a scarf joint in a professional manner. It has apparently held up well so this was very encouraging in my own case.

Anyway, the paddle blade was yanked out of the garden where it has weathered into a antique grey patina but came out without any sign of rot. The grip was pulled out of indoor storage and the two setup on the garden shed to represent what could've been...

With a scrap piece of sassafras cut from more recent projects, a plan was hatched to try a scarf repair like David's.

Using a mitre saw, I cut the steepest angle I could manage. Here is a shot of the scarf joint clamped up...

The glue-up went well and it seems to be very strong. A new grip will be sketched out and reshaped soon.

DECEMBER 2016 Update: New grip has been shaped out. See post # 2 in series HERE.

Cherry Gallery: Unique Scroll Grip Paddle

Another fascinating paddle find has been listed by the folks over at CherryGallery.com. Their September 2016 page of current items has a listing of a paddle with a very interesting, assymetrical scroll grip.

Scroll Grip Canoe Paddle

Circa 1900

7" w, 66" h

Here's their writeup on this unique piece which has already sold...

We have handled hundreds of quality antique canoe paddles, but never one quite like this example which turned up in a downeast Maine estate. It is a birch paddle with a rolled grip finished on the ends with concentric ring buttons. The grip eases into a gracefully chamfered flat handle. The tapered blade has flared shoulders and a pronounced center ridge which is characteristics of northeastern Native designs. The old, slightly crazed finish is superb.

Scroll grip closeup

Scroll grip closeup

Great Lakes Maple Paddle

Came across an archived listing of an interesting paddle from Cowan's Auctions. Lot 723 of the 2004, American Indian Art Auction was loosely identified as a "Great Lakes Maple Paddle".

Great Lakes Maple Paddle,

beautifully carved with broad flat blade, a narrow rounded shaft, and broad flat handle. Openwork carving resembling ribbon work at end of handle

length = 66.5 inches

Condition: Insignificant/ light surface abrasions.
Price Realized 
$1,610

Sept 29, 2016: Offset data for this paddle shape is available. See this post here.

Historic Illustration: Micmac Canoe Fishing

With Rod and Gun in New England and the Maritime Provinces by Edward A. Samuels (published 1897) has an image of a Mi'kmaq bark canoe with Guides paddling a Sport to some ideal fishing grounds.

Image Source Link

A closeup of the stern paddler shows the artist captured a paddle without a distinct grip...

Paddle Closeup

Live action video of Mi'kmaq paddlers using their distinctive humped ocean canoes can be seen in this earlier post HERE

Maine's Hudson Museum collections now online

Been offline during the chaos that are the Christmas Holidays. Hope everyone had a good break and happy start to the New Year.

Recently found out that the The Hudson Museum at the University of Maine has a new online app that showcases some objects in their "Maine Indian Gallery". I had some issues with my web browser but still managed to get to some screen shots of some interesting paddle stuff.

Hudson Museum Gallery Portal - Click HERE to enter

I first heard of the Hudson Museum thanks to fellow blogger Bob Holtzman of the fantastic Indigenous Boats blog. He's been kind enough over the years to send relevant photos regarding bark canoe and woodland paddles for usage on this site. In particular, this post here discussed a wonderful looking paddle with a ridged grip that I tried to emulate. That paddle ended up regrettably snapping during the carving phase from poor stock selection.

Now that some of the items in the museums collection are online, there are some nice photos and accompanying information. First off here is the screenshot and closeup of their birchbark canoe dated to 1888.

A closeup of the exhibit. The paddle I was interested is the bottom one in the foreground...

Unfortunately after searching through their database, I couldn't find a specific entry just for that paddle. Too bad. Instead, however, the paddle immediately in front of the canoe has its own documentation slide...

A big surprise was discovering a Penobscot made paddle that readers might recognized from multiple postings on the site...

It looks to be identical to the antique paddle first described in the archives of LiveAuctioneers.com as well as Skinner Auctions. Back on Sept 24, 2011, it sold for $2,370 although this one was described as a Penobscot Paddle, circa 1900 not 1950 as the Hudson museum slide states.

Overall side-by-side comparison

"Skinner Auction" paddle (left) vs Hudson Museum (right)

Furthermore, if you look at description and grip design, the Hudson paddle mentions the initials "HBW" carved into the base, whereas the Skinner Auction paddle is missing this description. The lighting in the photo captures is obviously different as well, but the Auction paddle shows some subtle carving damage around the flower motif in the centre of the grip.

Grip comparison

 "Skinner Auction" paddle (left) vs Hudson Museum (right)

Perhaps these are just different sides of the same paddle or one was a later replica of the other. I've sent a query to the museum and will wait to see what the response is.


Feb 23, 2016 UPDATE: Received a response from the Director of the Hudson Museum. The paddle in the Hudson collection was indeed obtained from Skinner auctions so it is the same piece. The confusion with the dating was due to human error when the info was imported into the app and is pending correction.