George MacDonald commissioned the young artist Earl Muldon to create designs for this undecorated antique box in 1972. Muldon is an accomplished practitioner of several Northwest Coast arts and has been awarded several major commissions including the carved entry doors of the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

He is also the Hereditary Chief of Delgamuukw and is known for his important political contributions. As one of the lead claimants in the now historic case Delgamuukw v British Columbia, Muldon established the oral histories of Indigenous peoples as valid evidence in Canadian courts when demonstrating Aboriginal Title; this set an important legal precedent. He was elected to the Order of Canada in 2011.

Reference: For an exhaustive study of bentwood boxes and their designs see Bill McLennan and Karen Duffek, The Transforming Image: Painted Arts of Northwest Coast First Nations (Vancouver: UBC Press and D&M, 2000).

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