Kerr Eby, born Tokyo, Japan 1889-died - Shadows on the Agawa - 1929 - T-Shirt

A quiet river runs between tall birch trees and a grazing moose in this 1929 etching by Kerr Eby, set in the Agawa country of northern Ontario.

Visual Elements & Composition

Cream dominates the sheet, with warm grey and sepia brown carrying the shadows. A moose wades through shallow water at the centre, while drooping birch branches frame the scene and tufts of marsh grass anchor the foreground. The image sits within a square, rectangular print plate, and the fine lines of the etching build the light and texture of the landscape with restraint and no bright accents.

Meaning & Symbolism

Eby made this work during the years he was best known for his intense etchings of First World War battlefields, so the calm of this landscape marks a deliberate turn. The Agawa region sits on the ancient Canadian Shield, and the waterway and wilderness shown here stand for the permanence of nature. The shadows invite the viewer into the quiet, remote recesses of the wilderness, presenting it as a place untouched by the industrialisation spreading elsewhere in the early twentieth century.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A tee is worn close to the body, so the moose and birches stay in view as you move, and the cream ground keeps the scene light against the wearer. The classic, relaxed cut lets the image sit comfortably across the chest, where it can be seen up close in conversation and from across a room. Like the etching itself, it rewards a second look at the shadows.