Emily Carr considered the eagles to be the house's protectors. Watching over the house and those who lived there.
The exact date the eagles were painted in the attic is unknown, likely they were painted fairly soon after Emily moved into the house. The two eagles, apparently painted in the Kwaguilth style, are each paired with a row of frogs, apparently painted in the Haida style.
Throughout the years, the attic's main entrance was covered up and the attic itself was used less and less for storage. The eagles remained in their 'cobwebby darkness', forgotten for a time until 1959 when the house's then current owner, Richard Porter, and a carpenter rediscovered the eagles. At the time, the ceiling needed reinforcing and the carpenter ventured into the attic. This 'discovery' caused a small panic at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria who believed that a new original Emily Carr had been discovered. The gallery quickly realized that the eagles' existence was not a surprise and that they had known about them.
While today the eagles remain in the attic, there is always the possibility of removing them and giving them to a museum so more people can enjoy them. Perhaps, as many biographers have mentioned, the house will be bought by the Government and turned into a gallery. Leaving the eagles to remain with the house as long as it stands. Whatever happens in the future, the eagles are an important part of the house.
Emily occasionally thought about the eagles after she moved out of the house and was reassured that they would always be there. As she wrote in The House of All Sorts, the eagles cannot be removed "without tearing the roof off the house." Perhaps they will remain with the house for all time.
In 1989, a second roof was added to protect them from any further water damage.
