Bidspirit auction | James Houston - Eskimo Woman,

James Houston - Eskimo Woman, Shamanjok with Child on Her Back, Original Drawing, 1949 - An original graphite and coloured pencil drawing on paper by James Houston (Canadian, 1921-2005), inscribed: “Eskimo woman Shamanjok with child on her back at the Innuksuak River, Eastern Hudson Bay, 6 Feb. 1949”. Sheet measures 7.25 x 9.5 in. (sight), matted to 15.5 x 13.25 in. Signed “J. Houston” lower right. Created during Houston’s pivotal early years in the Eastern Arctic, this rare field drawing predates the formal establishment of Inuit printmaking in Cape Dorset. Houston’s 1948-1950 expeditions were instrumental in documenting Inuit life and directly led to the development of the Inuit print program. Works from this period are of exceptional historical and cultural significance, capturing firsthand ethnographic observations. Provenance: Private Canadian collection. Comparable works are held in the collections of the Canadian Museum of History and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.