Captain Cook’s Artists

The peculiar difficulties of the explorer-artist are illustrated by John Webber’s description of how he tried to paint the interior of a Red Indian hut on Vancouver Island on Cook’s last voyage. Their houses, says the captain, “are as filthy as hog-sties, everything in them stinking of fish, train-oil and smoke.” In addition to this, says Webber, as he peered through the murk at a family totem pole. “a man approached with a knife in his hand, seemingly displeased. However, I took as little notice of him as possible.” When the Indian proceeded to hide the totem under a mat, Webber offered him a brass button off his waistcoat to remove it. Scarcely had he settled down to work again when the Indian repeated the action and another button was sacrificed. So it went on “until I had parted with every single button; when he saw that he had completely stripped me I met with no further obstruction.”