American Historical Ephemera & Photography

Approx. 3.75 x 18 in. painted wood canoe with wooden and painted plaster figures with cotton clothing (minor scuffing to canoe, some loss to polychrome, rear figure's shirt with losses, missing one oar). Presented with a lucite and felt stand. 

A rare folk art canoe representing Teddy's 1912 Brazilian trip to explore the uncharted Rio da Dúvida, or "River of Doubt." It was later named Rio Teodoro in his honor. The canoe is hand carved and comes with a hand-carved oar and oarlocks made of safety pins. The Roosevelt figure and native figures' bodies are wood, while their heads are painted molded plaster. The figures are held in place by a pin sticking from under the seats. The canoe also has a stabilizing weight on the bottom and a loop on the front for a string, suggesting that this was actually used to float in water.