My late maternal grandfather, John Caswell Davis, was a multi-talented individual--a successful engineer, an astute political operative (which led to his appointment to the Canadian senate in the late 1940s), and an accomplished artist. Many of my relatives and I have examples of his art, most notably of pastel portraits of First Nations individuals.
We doubt these individuals actually sat for JCD; rather, he was inspired by photographs that he collected. Among those photos are 11 very-good-quality black-and-white photographs from the studio of noted Calgary photographer Harry Pollard, whose collection is now held in the Provincial Archives of Alberta. My research indicates the photos were taken in the early 1900s. My late grandfather likely acquired his prints in the 1930s or 1940s.
I believe the photos have wonderful historical value, and I know that, being original prints from the studio (complete with impressed identification and copyright stamp) they are quite collectable. But I treasure them for the remarkable images of the men. I hope you enjoy them, too. Here are those photos (captions reflect pencil notations on back of photo):
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| Wolfe Caller Blackfoot |
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| Weasle Tail Pegan |
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| Turning Robe |
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| Turning Robe |
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| Turn Up Nose Blackfoot |
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| Red Leggings |
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| Old Tom Sarcee |
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Manny Shot
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| Calf Robe |
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| Calf Bull |
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| Big Belly Sarcee Chief |
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