Thomas Ona Odulate, a Yoruba from Ijebu-Ode, moved to Lagos in the 1940s where he produced carvings for sale mostly to British colonial officials and travellers visiting Nigeria. His figures were carved in a light wood using an adze and a knife, the traditional carving tools made by Yoruba blacksmiths. Like traditional Yoruba carvings, these figures are polychrome. However, Ona used red and black ink and white shoe polish to colour parts of the figure which otherwise was the natural tan of the wood (Bascom, p.119). Ona was fascinated by the dress and accoutrements of power, and his figures of Europeans mostly represent British colonials in formal dress. His oeuvre included the European lawyer, missionary, polo player, sergeant, British captain, policeman as well as the African king, councillor, soldier, masked dancer and butcher. On occasions he also undertook commissions to portray specific individuals. Ona considered his figures to be naturalistically carved,
and rejected the suggestion that he caricatured Europeans.

For further examples of his work, see Anthony Jack, Michael Graham-Stewart: Africa: relics of the colonial era, London, 1991, p.59; Nigeria: a quarterly magazine of general interest, June 1938, 14, p.138; and William Bascom, 'Modern African figurines: satirical or just stylistic?', Lore, 1957, 7(4), cover, pp.118-126.