The Potlatch Collection of Royal Canadian Mounted Police Illustrations
For over 50 years, the famed Royal Canadian Mounted Police has served as the symbol for the printing paper produced by the Northwest Paper division of Potlatch Corporation.
It began in the early days of the Great Depression, when the then-struggling Minnesota paper company sought an advertising theme that would establish its product as strong, dependable, and consistently able to do the job well.
Beginning in 1931, Northwest Paper Company commissioned nearly 400 paintings and illustrations in watercolor, oil and line drawings, which were used to merchandise the company's printing papers. The illustrations of the RCMP in their distinctive red surge uniforms were an instant advertising success.
In all, 16 artists created Mountie illustrations for Northwest Paper from 1931 until 1970, when it was determined the collection was large enough to meet the company's future marketing needs.
Hal Foster, who went on to create the Prince Valiant cartoon strip, was the first Mountie artist. As Foster devoted more time to cartooning and Northwest Paper's marketing efforts expanded from illustrations in printing trade magazines to calendars, memo pads and broadsided, other artists were called upon to contribute.
The most prolific and best known of this group is Arnold Friberg. Although most of his works were in oil, Friberg's first work for the company in 1937 was in watercolor. Over the next 33 years, he sold paintings or reproduction rights on 208 Mountie subjects to Northwest Paper. Friberg also is well known for his western and biblical illustrations. The latter interest led to a monumental painting and costume design project for Cecil B. DeMille's film The Ten Commandments, which earned Friberg an Academy Award.
Potlatch donated its Mountie collection in 1981 to the Tweed Museum of Art, considered an ideal choice to properly care for and present the collection to a wider audience.