Museum catalogue: Polar Art Collection

Eskimaux of Prince Albert's Land in dancing cap, Walker Bay, 1851


Accession no.:	Y: 83/11/29
Title:	Eskimaux of Prince Albert's Land in dancing cap, Walker Bay, 1851
Description:	From a collection of watercolours and assorted sketches by Edward Adams, assistant surgeon on HMS Investigator, part of James Clark Ross's expedition, 1848-49, and on HMS Enterprise under Richard Collinson, 1850-55. After his experience in the Arctic, Adams passed his medical exams, and travelled to west Africa in May 1856 aboard the steampship Hecla. He died there of typhus, and was buried at Sierra Leone. The Inuinnait man in this watercolour is wearing a hat made of strips of caribou skin decorated with a loon's bear. This style of hat was worn during drum dances, which were held to welcome travelling groups or to celebrate a successful hunt. The loon was a powerful spiritual protector revered for its speed, keen eyesight, elegant song and colourful courtship dance. See, sketch, Y: 83/11/69.
Medium:	Watercolour
Artist:	Adams, Edward
Note:	This collection passed into the possession of Francis Skead, lieutenant on Enterprise, 1850-55. The writing on most of the sheets can be identified as Skead's, on comparison with text in his private journals. The collection was presented to SPRI by his grandson C.J. Skead in October 1985.
Dimensions:	Image: Width: 160mm; height: 240mm