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Sydney Laurence (1865-1940) The Alaska That Was 16 x 20 in. framed 21 3/4 x 25 1/2 in. (Painted circa 1927.) image 1
Sydney Laurence (1865-1940) The Alaska That Was 16 x 20 in. framed 21 3/4 x 25 1/2 in. (Painted circa 1927.) image 2
Lot 43

Sydney Laurence
(1865-1940)
The Alaska That Was 16 x 20 in. framed 21 3/4 x 25 1/2 in.

26 April 2022, 13:00 PDT
Los Angeles

Sold for US$22,950 inc. premium

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Sydney Laurence (1865-1940)

The Alaska That Was
signed 'Sydney Laurence' (lower left) and signed again and titled on a label (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
16 x 20 in.
framed 21 3/4 x 25 1/2 in.
Painted circa 1927.

Footnotes

Provenance
Nugget Shop, Juneau, Alaska.
Marshall Field & Company, Chicago, Illinois.
G.D. Urbele, Chicago, Illinois.
Mrs. B. Steele, Mishawaka, Indiana.
Private collection, Studio City, California, from the above, December 1968.
By family descent.

Sydney Laurence was one of the first academically trained artists to live in the Alaska Territory. The composition for The Alaska That Was is rare for the artist who is best known for depictions of Mt. McKinley (Denali). As the title suggests, the painting features an artistically blended vignette of elements of the Tlingit or Haida people set against a mountainous coastal landscape. A seagoing canoe painted with totemic design and a killer whale clan crest pole are displayed near a solitary structure, possibly a grave house.

Additional information

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