[1] Joseph and his family would make an annual trip from the St. Croix River to the Passamaquoddy Bay to work seasonally, collecting materials for their basket weaving.

During his time as a guide, he mentored a young Franklin Roosevelt while teaching him how to navigate the ocean surrounding Campobello Island.

[10] Tomah Joseph adapted the traditional birch bark craft that was passed down through the Passamaquoddy tribe to meet the consumer ideals of non-native visitors purchasing his work.

Originally Passamaquoddy artist would carve floral or geometric patterns, or use illustrations to tell stories on their artworks.

The human figures also tended to be more realistic than the traditional picture writing used in previous Passamaquoddy artists carvings.

The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University hosted an exhibition, History on Birchbark: The Art of Tomah Joseph, Passamaquoddy in 1993.

[13] Curated by Joan lester, the exhibition included information on the history of birchbark art, historical background on the Passamaquoddy tribe, a biography of Tomah Joseph's life including his relationships with Franklin Roosevelt and Charles Leland, the new style of birchbark work that Tomah Joseph created, the origin stories from Native American folklore that was used in his illustrations, as well as explanations for some specific carvings and what their significance was.