The Potlatch Collection of Royal Canadian Mounted Police Illustrations

mountie in red uniform standing in front of his horse holding binoculars
Arnold Friberg (American, 1913-2010). Untitled (Mountie Holding Binoculars, Horse Behind Him), 1954. Oil on Canvas. Collection of the Tweed Museum of Art. UMD. Gift of Potlatch Corporation.

For over fifty years, the famed Royal Canadian Mounted Police have served as the symbol for the printing paper produced by the Northwest Paper division of Potlatch Corporation. 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, sixteen 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. 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.