Jim Robb was wondering where a piece of his art commissioned by the Yukon government back in 1983 had gone to.

The longtime Yukoner said his painting of Sylvia Williams’ trapper’s cabin in Whitehorse was missing for years.

He remembers painting the cabin while Sylvia’s daughter Ruby looked on.

Robb explained in a recent interview with the Star he was hoping by publishing a card that featured the piece, somebody might recognize it.

“Did anybody see this picture?” he asked. “It might be hanging on somebody’s wall.”

On Monday, he received a call that the 18- by 24-inch water colour had been found.

Garnet Muething is the art curator for the Department of Tourism and Culture.

She explained in an interview Tuesday that Robb raised the issue of the missing artwork about a year ago when they were talking about Robb’s donation of another piece of art by Ray Leduc.

It was difficult to track down information on a piece of art commissioned so many years ago, Muething said.

She said they had been going through their inventories prior to checking the storage space.

“He was thrilled,” Muething said of Robb’s reaction to the news. “I know he really enjoyed seeing it again.”

She said they already have three pieces of Robb’s work in the government’s Permanent Art Collection.

Robb has expressed interest in having the piece found Monday put into the collection.

That decision is ultimately up to the Friends of the Permanent Art Collection, a not-for-profit board, Muething pointed out.

The piece was commissioned almost 40 years ago specifically by the late Bea Firth, who was serving in the cabinet of the former Yukon Territorial Progressive Conservative Party government at the time.

Robb said he made cards of the art work that generally promoted good stewardship of trapper’s cabins, and tourism in general, he said.

The card reads: “The Yukon’s past, when using someone’s cabin on the trail, you always respected the property of others and replaced the wood you burned.

“Today, we still respect our heritage and each other, Oldtime hospitality is Yukon’s trademark.”

Robb said he was paid $1,000 for the art work, which he estimates is probably worth between $5,000 and $8,000 now.

The late Alex Van Bibber – a renowned trapper – really liked the card because he felt it was a typical trapper’s cabin, complete with a Ski-doo parked out back, he said.

“I think I must have sent him a card.”

Robb said he was going through some old items two or three months ago when he came across one of the cards, so he figured he’d put the story out there to see if anything came of it.

No need now.