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R. J. Kidston served a long and distinguished career in the RCMP
from 1928 to 1954. Shortly after joining the Force, he was transferred
to the Northwest Territories; later he was posted to Saskatchewan,
Ontario and Alberta. He enlisted to serve in the Second World War and
received a concussion from a bomb blast. After the war, he was involved
with the reconstruction of police forces in France, Belgium and Holland.
He retired in 1954 and relocated to England. He died in 1993 in
Bridport, Dorset.
In 1959, from Bridport, England, Kidston sold his collection of
ivories to the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Reference:
Ralph J. Kidston
1964 "The Tieland Murders." RCMP Quarterly,
30(1): 29-34.
Crouching Seal Hunter, 1929–1931
Near Pond Inlet, Baffin Island, Nunavut
Ivory
6.6 x 8.7 x 4.8 cm
CMC IV-X-508
Collected by Sergeant Kidston while stationed at the Pond Inlet RCMP
detachment between 1929 and 1931
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Pond Inlet was Kidston's first posting and he travelled a 300-mile
area around the RCMP detachment. This ivory sculpture shows the
classical scene of the hunter standing motionless over the seal hole,
waiting for the seal to come up. The hunter has tucked his hands
inside his sleeves to protect himself from the bitter cold.
Exhibition History:
In the Shadow of the Sun: Perpsectives on Contemporary Native Art.
Organized by the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Museum am Ostwall
fuer Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Dortmund, Germany, December 9,
1988 – February 27, 1989; Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull,
Quebec, June 29, 1989 – January 2, 1990; Art Gallery of Nova Scotia,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 20 – June 24, 1990; Rijksmuseum Voor
Volkenkunde, Leiden, Netherlands, August 30 – October 18, 1991.
Exhibition catalogues in German and English.
References:
Hoffman, Gerhard (ed.)
1988 – Im Schatten der Sonne: Zeitgenoessische Kunst der
Indianer und Eskimos in Kanada. Exhibition catalogue. Stuttgart:
Edition Cantz, no. 134, p. 445.
Seal Trap, 1929–1931
Near Pond Inlet, Baffin Island, Nunavut
Ivory, sinew
Base: 1.8 x 7.9 x 2 cm
Trap: 10.5 cm high
CMC IV-X-510
Collected by Sergeant Kidston while stationed at the Pond Inlet RCMP
detachment between 1929 and 1931
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According to the collector,* this is the only model of the only
trap of its kind. When the seal comes to the breathing hole over which
the trap has been placed, it raises a rod which trips the trigger,
causing a heavy block of ice to drive a harpoon into the seal's head.
*CMC Archives (collectors' files)
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Man in Rocking Chair Playing Concertina, 1929–1931
Near Pond Inlet, Baffin Island, Nunavut
Ivory, black colouring
9 x 3 x 5.5 cm
CMC IV-X-456
Collected by Sergeant Kidston while stationed at the Pond Inlet RCMP
detachment between 1929 and 1931
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Pond Inlet was one of the three major whaling areas in the Eastern
Arctic during the nineteenth century. Among the many changes whalers
introduced was the concertina, used for square dances or Scottish jigs.
The carver has recreated the chair and the musical instrument with the
same care he would have given to representing all the details of a
dog-team.
Exhibition History:
Out There is Somewhere: The Arctic in Pictures. Organized by
the Art Gallery of Windsor. Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario,
March 23 – May 26, 2002; Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta,
September 6 – November 2, 2002.
In the Shadow of the Sun: Perspectives on Contemporary Native Art.
Museum am Ostwall fuer Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Dortmund,
Germany, December 9, 1988 – February 27, 1989; Canadian Museum of
Civilization, Hull, Quebec, June 29, 1989 – January 2, 1990; Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 20 – June 24,
1990; Rijksmuseum Voor Volkenkunde, Leiden, Netherlands, August 30 –
October 18, 1991. Exhibition catalogues in German and English.
Sculpture/Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic.
Organized by the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council. Vancouver Art Gallery,
Vancouver, B.C., November 9 – December 9, 1971; Le Grand Palais, Paris,
France, February 10 – April 2, 1972; Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen,
Denmark, April 26 – May 28, 1972; The Hermitage, Leningrad, Russia,
June 29 – July 23, 1972; Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, Moscow, Russia,
August 10 – September 10, 1972; Burlington Gardens Museum, London,
England, October 5 – December 10, 1972; Philadelphia Museum of Art,
Philadelphia, U.S., January 24 – March 4, 1973; National Gallery of
Canada, Ottawa, May 17 – June 17, 1973.
References:
Canadian Eskimo Arts Council
1971 – Sculpture/Inuit. Exhibition Catalogue. Ottawa:
Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, no. 227.
Hessel, Ingo
1998 – Inuit Art: An Introduction. Vancouver/Toronto:
Douglas and McIntyre, ill. p. 20.
Hoffman, Gerhard (ed.)
1988 – Im Schatten der Sonne: Zeitgenoessische Kunst der
Indianer und Eskimos in Kanada. Exhibition catalogue. Stuttgart:
Edition Cantz, no.133, p. 444.
Speak, Dorothy
1989 – "A Collection Without Parallel Sees the Light of
Day." Inuit Art Quarterly 4(4): ill. p. 8.
Man and Wife Travelling over Land, 1929–1931
Near Pond Inlet, Nunavut
Ivory
Man: 6.7 x 3.5 x 3.6 cm
Woman: 6.2 x 2.2 x 3 cm
CMC IV-X- 453 a,b
Collected by Sergeant Kidston while stationed at the Pond Inlet RCMP
detachment between 1929 and 1931
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Travelling over land in search of caribou is part of the seasonal
cycle of traditional Inuit life. Here is a stylized rendering of a
couple carrying packs. The man, obviously wearing trousers, is slightly
taller, while the woman is wearing a dress and her facial features
are soft and rounded.
Exhibition History:
Arctic Mirror. Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec,
January 25 – September 9, 1990. No catalogue
Sculpture/Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic.
Organized by the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council. Vancouver Art Gallery,
Vancouver, B.C., November 9 – December 9, 1971; Le Grand Palais, Paris,
France, February 10 – April 2, 1972; Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen,
Denmark, April 26 – May 28, 1972; The Hermitage, Leningrad, Russia,
June 29 – July 23, 1972; Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, Moscow, Russia,
August 10 – September 10, 1972; Burlington Gardens Museum, London,
England, October 5 – December 10, 1972; Philadelphia Museum of Art,
Philadelphia, U.S., January 24 – March 4, 1973; National Gallery of
Canada, Ottawa, May 17 – June 17, 1973.
References:
Canadian Eskimo Arts Council
1971 Sculpture/Inuit. Exhibition Catalogue. Ottawa:
Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, no. 91.
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