Barbara A. Martindale- For What It's Worth October 28, 2013
Approximately 30 years ago, the painting that hung in The Sachem office from the time it was painted by Chief James Beaver in 1892 was donated as an important Caledonia historical item to the Caledonia Museum. Restoration was immediately accomplished.
At the time in the early to mid 1980s, the Caledonia Museum was housed within the old Caledonia Library on Caithness Street West.
Chief Beaver paintings were sought-after by dealers and they still are as valuable historical artwork.
Chief Beaver lived on the Six Nations Reserve; born in 1846 and died in 1925. He was a carpenter, a juggler and talented showman, as well as a painter. He travelled the Grand River between Brantford and Caledonia, doing his artwork to make a living. Some have been found during restoration- painted on walls of houses in the area.
The story of The Sachem office painting passed down through the years surrounds the fact that Chief Beaver needed some money for his large family: wife, Lydia, and three sons and four daughters.
Henry Busustow Sawle, proprietor of The Sachem, commissioned Chief Beaver to paint The Sachem building. The Sawle family, who lived above The Sachem during those years, was included in the painting.
The Sachem painting restoration had full government funding because of the work's historical significance, completed by Steve Paulin of the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture.
A tear, water and insect marks meant cleaning was especially difficult. As well, Chief Beaver used lead or graphite lines to accentuate the board and batten architectural details in the building. Surface cleaning had to be done on either side of the fine lines in order to avoid damaging or removing the important feature.
On occasion, one person in particular is in the area looking for Chief Beaver paintings. They are very valuable commodities for dealers, and the internet is a location for Chief Beaver auctions.
As recent as 2011, a cane carved by Chief Beaver was sold to a collector for $17,500 at a Jarvis auction. The collector was said to have 13 Beaver paintings.
The Sachem painting is part of the Edinburgh Square Heritage and Cultural Centre today. There are examples of his work at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, too.
