#30 • An Exceptional Inupiaq Hunter Doll - Ethel Washington

Part of December 2025 Premier Auction (live auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $1,300.00

Status: Sold

Category: Ethnographic Objects

An important doll by the "The Mother of Eskimo Doll Making," Inupiaq doll maker Ethel Washington (1889-1967), of Kotzebue, Alaska. The artist's works are housed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. The prominent doll features a man outfitted in traditional outdoor garments and accented with implements to include a birch bow, edged blade, fur sling bag, and scrimshaw walrus tusk knife. Constructed from a myriad of furs including caribou, rabbit (or squirrel), and fox; the face is carved and painted wood. Measures approximately 8" x 2.25" x 12" tall.