In the 1840s non-Haida subject matter almost completely dominated the argillite carvers' repertoire. Long panel pipes, thin slabs of argillite intricately carved and pierced into silhouette friezes of shipboard scenes, were in style. They are pipes only in that they have a tiny hole drilled down from the top to meet a similar hole drilled along the bottom from one end. Very often, as in this pipe, a rectangular motif suggesting a ship's cabin occupies the center. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

This tiny figure representing the sea wolf with his prey was probably made by Isaac Chapman around the turn of the century. The mythical sea wolf holding a whale in its jaws and another in its tail is a subject frequently seen in argillite. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)