CULTURAL GROUP:
Haida

BORN:
1878 (d. 1945)

BIRTHPLACE:
Massett, Haida Gwaii 

Mark Spence is now best known for his model totem poles. While he was Haida, his works did not often reflect Haida formline or colour schemes. His figures are broad-faced, animated, and very colourful. These factors led early collectors and institutions to incorrectly identify his pieces as Ts'msyen or Tlingit. Around the year of 1940, Spence was commissioned to create two poles for Thunderbird Park in Victoria, BC.