Rare Antique Kayak with Figures, late 19th Century, Aleut

Rare Antique Tridarka Kayak with FiguresLate 19th CenturyAleut Culture, Alaska4" high x 28" long x 4.5" wideKayak: wood frame with seal skin covering, red wool decorative tuffsFigures: wood, wearing seal gut parkas, carved and painted faces and hats, holding 6" carved and painted paddlesNote: seal skin covering cut away in sections to expose wooden frame Tourism was a well-known feature of life along the Alaskan coast in the late 19th century. Steamships frequented the harbors on the southeastern coast, and during the summer months, wealthy tourists traipsed through Juneau in search of souvenirs. In the 1890s, a wooden walkway had been built across the moraine at Muir Glacier in Glacier Bay, making the hike easier for the several hundred visitors that came each year. At Sitka and Wrangell, the arrival of a steamship turned the town into a temporary but festive market place. Natives quickly produced goods to entice tourists to buy: small carvings, jewelry and baskets were the most popul