Charles Edenshaw Commemoration Invitation by Robert Davidson

7" x 5 1/2"

1978

1000 printed, unnumbered

In 1977, Davidson was commissioned by Parks Canada to create a monument to honour Da.a xiigang Charles Edenshaw's contributions to the arts in Canada, resulting in a carved and painted housefront based on the design from Edenshaw's Frog design settee. The simple frog design, on which this print is based, is meant to highlight the signature design form of Charles Edenshaw, a sweeping curved line underlining the eye.

Wyatt, Gary, and Robert Davidson. Echoes of the Supernatural: The Graphic Art of Robert Davidson. Figure 1 Publishing, 2022.

Davidson spent the summer of 1977 in his village, working on a major Federal commission, a memorial to his famed great-grandfather Charles Edenshaw. With the full-time help of two apprentices, he carved and painted the entire front of a reconstructed Haida house, adapting an original Edenshaw design from a chief's seat.

To proclaim the house front a monument to this great artist, a bronze plaque was set in place and the dedication validated with a potlatch. Parks Canada had commissioned the project and therefore sponsored the feast and the customary gift giving, a two-day event held in November of 1978.

Davidson designed a card for the invitations that were to be sent, but through a lack of communication the design became the cover for a program of events instead. Although government policy demanded that the card be printed in both English and French, in deference to the Haida-speaking people the brief biography of Charles Edenshaw (1839-1924) was translated into a written form of their language.

In many of his carved and engraved designs, Edenshaw used a small, distinctive profile face that became almost a trademark of his work, and Davidson chose this characteristic element for the cover design. One thousand were lithographed by Parks Canada, and the artist personally cut the screen to ensure its quality.

Stewart, Hilary. Robert Davidson: Haida Printmaker. Douglas & McIntyre, 1979.