Art Collectors in Saskatchewan prior to 1950

This post will deal with three private art collectors in Saskatchewan whose collections became the basis of three separate public art gallery collections in the province.  I will look at other collectors or collecting bodies in a post entitled Saskatchewan Art Patrons prior to 1950.

Two of the collectors here are very well known because their names grace the collections they donated to the public  — Norman Mackenzie (1869 -1936) and Frederick S. Mendel (1888 -1976)  The other collector was someone I came across only in the pages of the newspapers — William S. Grayson (1856-1926).  Based on what I found there, it seems that Grayson’s art collection was donated to the city of Moose Jaw in the late 1930s to form the basis of a public art collection.  I have been unable to confirm whether this plan came to fruition through online research but perhaps someone from Moose Jaw knows about the history of the disposition of Grayson’s collection and can confirm that it did, indeed, form the basis of the Moose Jaw Art Museum’s collection.  The Moose Jaw Art Gallery’s website does not contain a history of the museum or their collection but I have seen mention of this institution dating back to 1967, so it would be interesting to know how the gallery evolved.

Norman Mackenzie’s art collection, built before the mid 1930s,  was focused on European old master paintings and world antiques.  He also collected contemporary Canadian art, particularly Saskatchewan art.  Frederick S. Mendel’s collection was of a later date and focused on modern European art and North American art. William S. Grayson’s collection was the oldest and focused on late 19th century and early twentieth century northern European and North American painting, what would have been considered modern art in his own day.

Who was William S. Grayson? These newspaper articles published in Regina’s Morning Leader  should provide the answer to that question. Jun 9, 1926, Jun 10, 1926, Jun 14, 1926.  The last article dwells on his many accomplishments and includes a statement about his collection of paintings.  More information about his collection can be found in a couple of  articles published after his death. Mrs. Grayson held a Liberal party tea at her home in 1934 and the reporter dwelt to some extent upon the content of the Grayson gallery of paintings on display.  May 21, 1934 Leader-Post.  In 1937 an announcement was made that the Grayson painting collection, comprising some 130 pieces, was being donated to the city of Moose Jaw with the proviso that a suitable exhibition space be provided. This article also provided some information on the nature of the collection. Apr. 22, 1937 Star-Phoenix.  Apr. 27, 1937 Leader Post mentions that the matter was being discussed by the city of Moose Jaw. and a later one suggests that plans for the art gallery went ahead. May 11, 1937, Leader Post, because a board of management for the collection was formed.

What happened after that regarding the progress of the Moose Jaw Art Gallery is a mystery, as I have no access to published histories of Moose Jaw or editions of the Moose Jaw newspaper.  I hope that someone reading this might be spurred on to investigate further. In the 1930s Grayson’s collection might have looked a little out of fashion, with its Anton Mauves and 19th Century paintings, but any collection of carefully selected paintings would be a boon to starting an art gallery in Saskatchewan at that time. William S. Grayson doesn’t deserve the obscurity into which he has fallen.

Norman Mackenzie, whose collection forms the basis of today’s eponymously named gallery in Regina, is much better known. The gallery has published a number of catalogues over the years which detail aspects of his collecting and his biography.  Like Grayson, Mackenzie was a pioneer lawyer in Saskatchewan who amassed enough money to collect art as a hobby. Mackenzie bequeathed his extensive collection to his home city in the hope that a gallery would be erected to house it, possibly inspiring the Grayson family to do the same with their inherited art collection soon after.

I have found a number of articles related to Norman Mackenzie, which focus on his biography and give an excellent idea of his personality and his place in early Regina society.  His obituary is a good place to start. Jan. 3, 1936 Leader Post. For early assessments of his importance as an art collector, there are a couple of editorials in the Regina newspaper:  Sep. 26, 1953 & Nov. 25, 1957 Leader Post.

Because Mackenzie lived in Regina for a long time and because he also had a profile as being the first Western Canadian to be appointed to the board of trustees of Canada’s National Gallery (1925-1935), he was a bit of a “player” in contemporary art politics in the province. Correspondence exists between he and Walter Murray, first president of the University of Saskatchewan, showing this.  In 1925 the two arranged for a first group showing of Saskatchewan art outside the province in Toronto at Hart House. It was an exhibit provided by Saskatchewan art collectors, including Mackenzie and the University. In 1928 Mackenzie formed the Saskatchewan Art Association, attempting to oversee all representative art activities in the province with a cabal of Regina Photo: 1913 Saskatchewan history book by F.N. Black        businessmen who were also art                                                                                                                    collectors.  For more information on this organization see my post Assorted Regina Art Clubs 1920s-1950.

He did, however, manage to keep a low profile in the press. Feb. 4, 1915, May 8 & 10, 1934 Leader Post are about all I could find on his art activities.  He did speak at the opening of an exhibition by Regina artist Harriette Keating (see her bio) but he seems to have been reticent to get involved as a speaker in the doings of various local art clubs.  There a a couple of mentions of him showing his art collection to the public Jan. 22, 1923 & Apr. 11 & Apr. 17, 1925. On both occasions, the proceeds from the event were destined for charities. However, Mackenzie did involve himself in obtaining travelling exhibitions from the National Gallery for the city of Regina’s annual summer fairs for many years. Some evidence of this will be found on my future post on Regina summer fairs.

While he was alive Mackenzie had bought land, planning to build a bigger structure than his own home to house his collection.  Straitened economic times in Regina prevented this from happening before his death.  His 1936 will, which bequeathed both his art collection and money to the University of Saskatchewan, had strings attached which were to benefit his home city of Regina, resulting in the formation in 1936 of the University of Saskatchewan owned Regina School of Fine Arts at Regina College. Owing to the depression and the onset of World War II and its aftermath, the Norman Mackenzie Gallery did not actually open as a separate entity until 1953 when a purpose built gallery was constructed.

Original 1953 Mackenzie Gallery – photo found at Saskatchewan History online website. This structure was shortly added to in 1957 with a Massey design prize-winning addition. More information about this initial gallery can be found at Aug. 22, 1952 RLP

Author’s note: I cannot find anything online visually which physically situates this older building, as the present-day Mackenzie Gallery is no longer situated there and not part of the University any longer.  I remember seeing the 1957 era gallery as a young girl when I went to singing lessons at Darke Hall (Regina College) so I believe it must have been attached to either that building or one adjacent to it.  I left Regina when I was 12 and never lived there again for any length of time so my memory is vague.

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Norman Mackenzie and J. Purves Carter

One aspect of Mackenzie’s career as a collector has been dealt with in a number of publications but I think my newspaper research may add a bit to what is known.

I have seen mention of J.Purves Carter in almost everything that has been written on the subject of Norman Mackenzie, Regina’s premiere historical art collector. For an online example see:  http://www.sknac.ca/index.php?page=ArticlesDetail&id=33

In most of the literature Carter is portrayed as a slightly shady character who may have duped Mackenzie, a collector in the “wilderness.” However, I think that more credit should be given to both Mackenzie and Carter based on what I have uncovered in newspaper articles in Regina and writings by Carter all available now on the Internet Archive website.

The National Portrait Gallery in London’s has a section in their website on Research which includes biographies of British Picture Restorers

http://www.npg.org.uk/research/programmes/directory-of-british-picture-restorers/british-picture-restorers-1600-1950-c.php

There is a very interesting entry for J. Purves Carter, who was born Joseph Henry Carter in 1862 in London and died in Florence, Italy in 1937.  The gist of the rather long entry is that Carter misrepresented his age and changed his name when he first went to North America around 1900. Researchers have found that he also misrepresented his background and “stretched” the list of clients in his resume.

James Purves Carter (as he was known in Canada) was a painter, art restorer and picture dealer.  According to evidence and to his own promotional material, he was a cataloguer and a man who was out to make picture dealing an honest business by uncovering the many frauds that were committed in the multitude of art transactions going on in the late 19^th and early 20^th century.  If you look at a history of Laval University’s art collection website,  http://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/article-295/The_Legacy_of_the_S%C3%A9minaire_de_Qu%C3%A9bec_Collections:__an_Account_of_the_History_of_French_Speaking_North_America.html

you will find that there are no aspersions cast upon his name there.  He worked on the collection for several years and published its first catalogue.

He was hired to do work on various public and private collections based on his references, some of which were concocted or embellished to make him a more attractive hire.  While he may have made misattributions in his practice, like anyone involved in this kind of work, there is no indication that he did this out of any intention to defraud anyone.  Take a look at these writings by Carter and the list of references in the back of his booklet on the Torrigiani Academy, which includes Norman Mackenzie’s name.  If Mackenzie was duped, he was in good company because Carter worked for many other important private collectors in North America and Europe in the early years of the twentieth century, not all of whose patronage could have been invented.

The Great Picture Frauds 1908 at

https://archive.org/details/greatpicturefrau00cart

Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of the Paintings in the Gallery of Laval University, Quebec, 1909 at

https://archive.org/stream/cihm_72262#page/n285/mode/2up

A lecture upon the art and art treasures at Laval University delivered before l’Association des anciens élèves et gradué s de l’Université Laval, à Québec”, the Honorable representative of His Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Charles Fitzpatrick and the Elite of Québec, at Laval University, June 14th, 1909 (1909) at

https://archive.org/details/cihm_85681

The Torrigiani Academy founded by J. Purves Carter, n.d. (possibly written in 1920s) at

http://www.archive.org/stream/torrigianiacadem00cartiala#page/n3/mode/2up

It is evident that Norman Mackenzie came into contact with J. Purves Carter through Regina’s Monsignor Olivier Mathieu, the man who had hired Carter to work on Laval University’s collection in Quebec City when he was rector there.  Mathieu came to Regina in 1911 to take charge of the new Holy Rosary Cathedral and quickly rose to the position of archbishop of the diocese. Mathieu was an ardent art collector, like Mackenzie, and I have no doubt that Mackenzie heard of Carter’s talents from Mathieu. He was probably introduced to him in 1915 when Carter visited Regina.  Mackenzie later made contact with him while they were both in Italy.  See: Aug. 29, 1912, Jun 7, 1915,  Nov. 22, 1917. Morning Leader

Apart from advising and obtaining art for Mathieu and Mackenzie, Carter appears to have been involved in arrangements for Saskatchewan’s Lt. Gov. George W. Brown to obtain a portrait of himself painted by Hubert von Herkomer, a highly esteemed British portrait artist. Brown donated his portrait to the Legislative Assembly collection in 1915. (Jun 25, 1915 Morning Leader) Brown also procured a painting by the Italian artist Albani from Carter about this time, which he donated to Regina College in 1919.( Feb. 4, 1919 Morning Leader) Brown had formerly been Mackenzie’s law partner and probably trusted Mackenzie’s judgment, However this 1943 general report I found in the Leader-Post on the Saskatchewan legislature building suggests that von Herkomer’s portrait of Brown may not have been totally completed by the old portraitist. (Apr. 3, 1943). An image of it can viewed at this website which shows the portraits of the lieutenant governors of Saskatchewan. Its URL  is  https://www.flickr.com/photos/127001001@N07/14959376926/in/set-72157646657266431

I think these few connections will add further context to any discussions about the relationship between Norman Mackenzie and J. Purves Carter that appear in future.  Mackenzie was an astute man and even though he was situated in Regina, a small centre with no major art dealers, he was no more of a country bumpkin or naif than many other North American collectors of Renaissance and Baroque European art who lived in his era.  He was an informed collector and certainly exhibited his talents as a connoisseur when it came to collecting Saskatchewan art.

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The third collector to be dealt with here is from a younger generation than the Saskatchewan pioneers Grayson and Mackenzie.  Frederick S. Mendel was also from a different cultural background and began his collecting before immigrating to Saskatchewan from Europe at the onset of World War II.  Although much of his history in Saskatchewan goes beyond 1950, his residence in Saskatoon and his art collection had an immediate impact.  He was profiled by the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix soon after he arrived and set up his substantial Saskatoon business, Intercontinental Packers. Jan. 29, 1941 SSP. There is also an online version of Mendel’s memoir The Book and Life of a Little Man published in the early 1970s which covers the events of his unusual life.

As an active Canadian art collector Fred Mendel and his artist daughter Eva Mendel Miller became quickly engaged with the Saskatoon Art Association and the Saskatoon Art Centre in the 1940s and he began to support local artists, like William Perehudoff, through commissions. Jan. 2, 1947, SSP depiction of artists at Mendel’s 1946 New Year’s party at the packing plant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In autumn 1949, the first art gallery hanging of the Mendel collection was done by the Saskatoon Art Centre. Oct. 26, 1949, Oct. 29 (scroll down) & Oct. 29, 1949 & Nov. 5, 1949 SSP.  In 1955 a national tour of 65 paintings from Mendel’s collection started in Regina at the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery.  Mar.8, Mar. 11 & Mar. 14 Leader-Post. The full collection of 250 works had been catalogued by University of Saskatchewan art historian Gordon W. Snelgrove and a partial catalogue accompanied the exhibition on its tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On my Early Saskatchewan art history? page (see banner), you will find more information about the post 1950 openings of the Mackenzie and Mendel galleries and more perspective on these benefactors.  These galleries now have long histories which they have documented themselves in a number of fascinating publications.

Many Saskatchewan art collectors and artists have generously added to these collections over time. In my next post I will address many lesser known art patrons in Saskatoon and Regina in the earlier years of the province and some art collections created in the public name through their actions.

©Lisa G. Henderson

 

 

Some Early Men Artists in Saskatchewan

Since it is not my purpose here to reiterate biographies that can be found elsewhere, I am redirecting you to websites for most of the more well-known men artists of the early period. You will notice that there are a lot more official biographies of the men artists than the women described in my women artists biographies. However, I have linked newspaper articles to almost everyone listed here in order to expand the data that has been accumulated on both well-known and obscure artists. These biographies only include people who were mentioned in the newspapers prior to 1950 and will be useful for looking at the exhibition lists I have posted on this blog.  I have tried to place the artists in chronological order, rather than alphabetical.  Also, since I have not looked at Marketa Newman’s Biographical Dictionary of Saskatchewan Men Artists, I may be repeating information already found there. (book is not online). Note that some biographies appear in other posts, where appropriate.

John Thomas Richardson (b. 1860, Falmouth, Cornwall, England – d. 1942, Regina, Saskatchewan) received title to land in Saskatchewan at NW part of Section 34 of Township 18, Range 23, Meridian W2 in June of 1904.  He and wife Judith lived on the property in the 1906 Census of the Prairie Provinces but it says their date of entry to Canada was 1905. Judith was about six years younger, born in England. P.O. address was Balgonie but the farm was located at Edenwold. I cannot find them in the 1911, 1916 or 1921 Canadian Censii of the area. However, John Thomas Richardson is listed in the Cornwall Index of Artists online and a biography of him can be found at the Falmouth Art Gallery http://www.falmouthartgallery.com/Collection/Artist/Richardson,_John_Thomas_(1860-1942)#sthash.JBH7jbzA.dpuf

Slideshow of 12 J.T. Richardson paintings at http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/john-thomas-richardson/paintings/slideshow#/12

John T. Richardson had a solo show and sale of 100 paintings in Regina City Hall from Oct. 2 – Oct. 5, 1905 and another one in 1906 (last item in the City & Country Column). Richardson’s Ocean Scene was displayed in 1910 at RSAALS’ first Conversazione at the Collegiate, Oct. 6, 1910 by its owner, Dr. Pollard.  The first mention of Richardson loaning paintings to the Regina LCW’ s Arts & Letters Committee annual Saskatchewan artists exhibitions is in November,1923.  There are further newspaper mentions of him loaning work in 1924, 1928 and 1930 and he also showed a few times with the WAA.  A painting of his was  exhibited in the 1943 LCW exhibition after he died. He advertised local sales of his paintings in 1923 and 1924.

Regina LCW Arts & Letters Committee sponsored two one man shows of his work, one in Oct. 1923 at the Calder Block, Regina and one in June 1-6, 1937 at Stewart’s Gallery, Regina, showing more than 40 of his paintings.  See Jun 1, Jun 3, Jun 5, 1937 RLP.  In 1923 the LCW purchased The Orchard from the artist for its collection. At that time the artist was in Saskatchewan and he was in Saskatchewan again in 1937 for the later show.  As he was quite aged by then, he probably remained in Saskatchewan for the last 10 years of his life, as mentioned in the Falmouth Art Gallery bio. His sister lived in Edenwold. In 1937, the LCW report described him as a resident of Edenwold, Saskatchewan for the past 30 years. However, it is more likely that he owned property in Saskatchewan for more than 30 years but resided abroad for long expanses of time.

The Orchard hung in the Regina Public Library for many years and in 1953 the LCW Arts & Letters Committee donated the painting to the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery.

John Hamilton Holtby (b. 1868 Ontario) This man was resident in Regina in 1891, according to the Canadian Census, but he does not appear in Henderson’s Directory of the Northwest Territories in Regina in 1894. He received some attention in the Leader on Apr, 7, 1892 (scroll down the page to the illustration and accompanying editorial)  and on Oct. 13, 1892 (scroll down column to Fine Arts) which may explain why he didn’t remain in Regina. I can find no other information about him.

Josiah Rackstraw (b. 1867 England lived in Saskatoon from 1911-1922) listed in directories as a painter/decorator. Exhibited prize-winning paintings in Saskatoon Fairs during these years, usually copies of Old Master paintings. 1916 Fair is one example.

Alfred Perring Taylor (b. 1872 in Ootacamund, India – d. Vancouver, B.C., 30 Mar 1955) There is a biography of Taylor at SNAC. Taylor exhibited in the LCW art committee’s annual Saskatchewan art exhibitions in the 1920s.  I found a couple of mentions of the disposition of paintings by him. Oct. 11, 1915 Morning Leader  & Apr. 5, 1928 SSP

Albert E. Robillard b.1871- d.1934 (Ontario)- Exhibited and won prizes in the 1915 Regina fair as a resident of Regina but must have been passing through on a work assignment.  Robillard worked for Crown Lands Survey in Ontario for 38 years. He made some historically valuable watercolour paintings of Saskatchewan while he was there. There are examples of his prairie paintings in the Toronto Public Library collection. This is his undated view of the Industrial Training School at Lebret, seen on their website.

Reverend Charles Maillard – See my Ecclesiastic Art post for biography and links. He exhibited in some LCW annual exhibitions.

Father Henry Metzger – See my Ecclesiastic Art Post for biography and links. He exhibited in some LCW annual exhibitions.

Berthold Von Imhoff -See my Ecclesiastic Art Post for biography and links

Emile Mayeur – See my Ecclesiastic Art Post for biography and links

Inglis Sheldon-Williams  (b. 1870 in England, d. 1940 in England) Biography at SNAC.  His work was shown in the first Regina Artists exhibit in 1914 and he spoke on art to a crowd  at that time. (See RSAALS post) He also completed many commissions while in Regina (see Morning Leader  Feb. 19, 1914; Oct. 29, 1914; Feb. 4, 1915; May 13, 1916; Nov. 22, 1917; Feb. 20, 1926 and his work was exhibited in the early LCW art exhibitions by his sisters and others who owned his paintings, as he did not live in Regina after 1918.

James Henderson (1871 Glasgow, Scotland, – d. Regina, Sask, 1951) Biography at SNAC. Recently the subject of a long awaited academic study published by the Mendel Art Gallery in 2012, there are a number of fascinating essays and a very detailed timeline on James Henderson on the Mendel Gallery website. I can only add newspaper articles here, which provide some more information about his activities in the early years in Regina.

But they and a glance at an online Winnipeg Henderson directory will prove that he did not move to Regina until 1913, a questionable item on the time line there. There was another James Henderson who moved to Regina in 1911, a postal inspector, whose social activities, make the whole issue confusing. In an October 10, 1912 announcement in the Morning Leader (P. 16, under City and Country column), he is described as Mr. James Henderson, late of Regina, sending a scroll to Regina from Winnipeg, which accords with his listing in the Henderson Directory in Winnipeg in 1912 and 1913. He may have lived in Regina prior to then but it is unlikely.

Henderson was involved with the Regina Society for the Advancement of Art, Literature and Science after arriving in Regina. He was on the executive and handled the first group exhibit of contemporary Regina artists held in 1914 (see my RSAALS post). Inglis Sheldon-Williams also arrived in Regina in 1913 and was peripherally involved with that organization, showing his work in the 1914 show.

In 1913 James Henderson painted a portrait of Regina’s Mayor Martin for City Hall. Nov. 1 (scroll down the column) and Nov. 8, 1913 Morning Leader. In a report from October 27 of 1914 (cannot link to page so scroll right to next page from link) he was involved in a patriotic window dressing for a downtown Regina store. On Mar. 9, 1917 Henderson was described as the maker of an illuminated scroll for the city and designer of a handbook for them on Feb. 26, 1915. And on July 19, 1918 he completed a portrait of Speaker of the House Mitchell, when he was still described as a city artist. The text of that article says that he had been living in Regina for 12 years, which is inaccurate. But from the evidence of these articles,  I believe that he may have lived in Regina for at least 5 years before moving to Fort Qu’Appelle permanently. An early history book Pioneers and Prominent People of Saskatchewan is online and the biography of James Henderson in that publication suggests he moved to Fort Qu’Appelle in 1916.  Someone with access to Henderson or other directories for Regina for these years and afterwards could settle the date of his departure for Qu’Appelle, which I believe is still in question. Wrigley’s Saskatchewan Directory of 1921/22 does not have a Henderson living at Fort Qu’Appelle and the version I looked at does not include Regina.

Apart from that matter, I would add that Henderson exhibited quite frequently with the LCW arts committee’s annual exhibits from 1920s on and with the WAA in the 1930s and 1940s. He was always in demand and received good coverage in exhibition reports about these shows. The LCW Committee presented two solo exhibitions of Henderson’s paintings, one in 1924 and one in 1936. Oct. 14; Oct.16; Oct. 20 (See also review beside the editorial) Oct. 21 Leader Post Many of the paintings shown by the LCW in 1924 were sent on to Saskatoon for a showing at the University of Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon Art Club also exhibited Henderson’s paintings.  There are several mentions of Henderson’s paintings being purchased by various groups in the Morning Leader Feb. 22, 1923; Dec. 1, 1930 are two examples.

A sort of final solo exhibition of Henderson’s paintings was shown at the Regina Fair in 1950, alongside a large group of Henry Metzger paintings, both artists being renowned for their Indian portraits. Henderson was awarded an honorary LLD degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1951 shortly after he died. His death was announced on the front page of the Leader-Post.

Augustus Kenderdine (b. 1870 in England, d. 1947 Regina) Biography at SNAC.  Exhibited in the Regina LCW art committee’s and the WAA’s annual exhibitions in the 1930s and 1940s. He first came to the attention of the LCW in 1924 when he made a visit to Regina to do business with Norman Mackenzie and brought paintings along which were viewed by the LCW committee. From this initial meeting, the LCW decided to buy one of the paintings for their collection. The LCW sponsored a solo showing of Kenderdine’s paintings in 1926 at Regina College.  Mar. 22, Mar 29, April 1, 1926.  The club advertised his show using the name George Kenderdine, indicating their unfamiliarity with him.

Kenderdine was better known in Saskatoon at that point, where he gave private lessons from a studio in the Physics Building on the U of S campus in the 1920s.  His profile was also raised with the help of promotion from the University of Saskatchewan and Norman Mackenzie. Kenderdine’s paintings were often seen in showings at the Saskatoon summer fairs beginning in 1922 and in open studio displays (eg.)Apr. 6, 1931 SSP once a year at the U of S. He became a lecturer in art at the University in 1928 and taught winter courses Oct. 17, 1930 SSP there until the spring of 1936. Through his efforts, the Emma Lake art camp at Murray Point was opened in the summer of 1936 and Kenderdine taught a summer studio course for teachers there until he died in 1947. In 1936 Kenderdine moved to Regina and was named Director of the School of Fine Arts at Regina College, because by that time the College had become a satellite campus of the University of Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon Arts & Crafts Club sponsored a solo exhibition of his paintings at the Bessborough Hotel before he left.

Unlike his contemporary James Henderson, who preferred to live quietly and avoid publicity, Kenderdine was personally known throughout the province because of his teaching and although his artistic reputation took longer to develop than Henderson’s, he was a revered figure in Saskatchewan when he died. See later posts on Emma Lake Art Camp and Art education for more information.  Neither man spent much time expounding on their artistic theories in public but Kenderdine’s can be deduced from a couple of speeches he gave which were recorded in the Saskatoon newspaper. Feb. 12, 1930; Feb. 16, 1932

A memorial exhibition of his art was shown in 1948

John David Leman (b. 19 Dec 1879 in Stoke Dameral, Devon,  England, d. Regina, Sk on 31 Dec. 1946), dates from Ancestry tree. Leman’s father was a medical doctor attached to the army and Leman attended military school in Ireland. He also attended the Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts for two years studying with Alfred Bramley and later watercolourist, Joseph Pike.  His obituary says he arrived in Regina in 1912 and was an employee of the Provincial Government for 31 years, retiring in 1944. Leman’s profession was listed as artist in the 1916 Census of the Prairie Provinces so he must have had a position that required him to make art for the legislature.  He is most well known for painting the large oil on canvas mural When the White Man Came in Regina, installed in Saskatchewan’s Legislative Building rotunda in 1933. (Jun 16 & Jun 17 Leader Post.) He also completed a portrait that year of Saskatchewan’s minister of public works and telephones, Hon. J.F. Bryant,  which was donated by Bryant to the Legislative building. Apr. 19, 1933 (See my odd stories post for what happened to this portrait)

Leman exhibited in LCW annual Saskatchewan art exhibitions in Regina from the 1920s on and was a founding member of the Regina Sketch Club. Irene Leman, his daughter, also exhibited her paintings with the LCW. This photo and the  Jan. 2, 1947 RLP obit of Leman come from an Ancestry.com tree.  No mention of him being an artist in the tree.

 

According to CHIN, the Edmonton Art Gallery has a watercolour by him called Docent in the School Program. See website of Fraser/Spafford/Ricci Art & Archival Conservation Inc. for an illustrated article related to their restoration of Leman’s famous work at the Saskatchewan Legislative building. http://fsrconservation.com/john-leman-when-the-white-man-came-1933/

Richard Lindemere (b.1880 in London, England, d. in Ladysmith, BC on 3 Jun 1956) There is quite a good biography of Lindemere at SNAC so I am only adding some details to what is already available.  Lindemere’s wife was also an artist. Gladys Lindemere (nee Breffit, b. 1887 in England, d. 1985, Richmond B.C.) exhibited with her husband several times in LCW Regina art shows in the 1920s and 1930s. Gladys painted in watercolour and moved to British Columbia in 1932, separating from her husband. Richard Lindemere, who painted primarily in oil, exhibited his work in Saskatoon at least once to the Saskatoon Art Club in 1927 and in Prince Albert.  It is entirely possible that he was an early member of the North Battleford Art Club before leaving the province for B.C. in 1945. Examples of Richard Lindemere’s paintings can be found on the Legislative Art Collection of Saskatchewan website.

Charles S.R. Ferguson or Fergusson – Scottish-born artist who lived in Regina for a short time.  A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, Ferguson directed the art classes at Regina College beginning in April 1919. He and his daughter Charlotte Ferguson exhibited their paintings at the first LCW Art Exhibit in 1920 but appear to have not submitted again, so they likely moved on to another community.  He had already been living in Canada for a number of years before arriving in Regina. I cannot find him in any online database or website.

Joseph Henry Lee-Grayson (J.H.) (b. 10 Dec. 1875, Harrogate, Yorkshire England – d. Summerland, B.C., 15 Dec. 1953) Biography at SNAC but I can add to it substantially.  Born in Harrogate to Benjamin Grayson and his wife Lee, J.H.  lived in India as a child and while serving in the British Horse Guards. He later decided to study art in London at the South Kensington Art School, Paris at the Academie Julien and in Belgium at the Ecole des Beaux Arts before coming to Canada about 1906. He stayed in Montreal for two years and then came out west to farm.  He married English-born Kathleen Mercy McNeill of Moosomin, Saskatchewan in 1910 and they lived in Regina from then on. He appears to have been employed with The Craftsmen Ltd. in Regina as a designer prior to enlisting in World War I. This firm worked on designs for the interior furnishings of the Legislative Buildings of Saskatchewan. On Dec. 6 of 1912 the artist delivered a lecture on the Mystery of Colour to an RSAALS audience when he was described as representing the Craftsmen Ltd. Lee-Grayson probably contributed design drawings to the first Regina Artist’s Exhibition in 1914 sponsored by RSAALS. None of the contributors were named in the newspaper but there was an entire room devoted to local architectural designs at that show.

On July 26, 1915 he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, giving a false birth year of 1878, as many older men did. He was 6’2” and had a tattoo of an artist’s palette on his arm. He was a warrant officer in the 16^th Light Horse C Squadron and lost sight in one eye after being wounded at the Battle of the Somme in France. Lee-Grayson went back to Regina to recuperate and eventually returned to his designing career after the war, quite an accomplishment given that he had what was a devastating disability for an artist. He was employed by the Saskatchewan government as Art Director for the Legislative Building in 1923 and worked there until 1943. Simultaneously, he was employed by Regina College in October, 1923 to “re-open” their art department, probably giving art lessons in the evening or on weekends in drawing, watercolour and oil painting. He may have taught there for several years but I have not found a newspaper mention of this beyond the fall of 1925.

He was a well-known artist in Regina, participating in group exhibitions from the early 1920s until he retired to Summerland, B.C. in 1943. (His name is mentioned in the newspaper for 10 of those shows) He was a founding member of the Regina Sketch Club and the Regina branch Federation of Canadian Artists. He was given a solo show at Regina College in 1926, sponsored by the Regina LCW Arts & Letters Committee. The Committee purchased a painting which was eventually donated to the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery in 1953. An example of his landscape painting can be seen on the Norman Mackenzie Gallery website. Although primarily known for his landscape paintings, he painted a portrait of King George V which hung in the Legislative Building.  He also designed the terracotta Egyptian decorations on the Albert Memorial Bridge in Regina (1930) and worked on many art projects at the Legislature. 

Lee-Grayson was an expert at heraldry and completed countless illuminated designs. In the Legislative Assembly Collection you can also see an illuminated address he made for the visit to Regina of the King and Queen in 1939, although the small size of the image doesn’t do it any justice. I purchased this sun-faded & ill-framed 1948 illuminated address at an antique shop in Saskatoon in the late 1990s. The subject matter appealed to me. Probably done in B.C. and sent back to Regina, where it hung on this lady’s wall until she died, it is not the best representation of Lee-Grayson’s illuminated work (he was 73 years old and blind in one eye when he did this), but the only example I can provide.

 

He also illustrated covers for the Dome magazine, a bi-monthly publication of Saskatchewan government employees which was first issued in 1927.  I found this image of his design work on the SGEU website.

A learned man and raconteur (eg. Feb. 23, 1926), he wrote several articles for the above publication, and I believe wrote some anonymous art reviews for the newspaper using a signature saying he borrowed from Confucius: “Those who see beauty possess it.” (For example Oct. 20, 1936 review of Henderson exhibit) He certainly commented upon art and was quoted by the press at various times.

He continued to exhibit his art while in B.C.  Group show Artists of the Okanagan Valley, Sep 24-Oct. 6, 1946 Little Centre, Victoria, B.C. (VAG artist files)

Kathleen Lee-Grayson also contributed to the art community in Regina, assisting in art-related clubs and activities and occasionally entered her own paintings in exhibitions. The couple had no children. After J.H. died in Summerland, Kathleen went to Dover, Kent, England where she died in 1956.

Biographic mentions for J.H. Lee-Grayson can be found at www.Heraldicscienceheraldique.com and in Colin McDonald’s Dictionary of Canadian Artists. See also the following articles which indicate the level of esteem he was held in by the community of Regina.  Someone needs to track his work down in Regina and do a show on his achievements.

Lee-Grayson to retire from government office, Nov. 24, 1943 Regina Leader-Post

Official Emblem Adopted by City, Sept. 8, 1948, Regina Leader-Post

Soldier Artist Dies in B.C., Dec. 15, 1953, Regina Leader-Post

A Very Remarkable Person, Dec. 18, 1953 editorial RLP

Liz Roley,”Prairie Painter enlivened church discussion group in the 30s” Nov 10, 1979, Regina Leader Post

Edward McCheane (b. 1883, England – d. 12 Jun 1946 in Saskatoon, Sk.) I was able to find one newspaper article which gave a lot of detail about Ed McCheane’s training and career but I also consulted an online biography written by a family member for a genealogical project. http://niebuhrgathering.com/family-projects-newblogmenu-110/71-family-history-projects-13-edward-mccheane  From this source I discovered that there may be more documentary material on Edward McCheane at the Saskatchewan Archives Board.

Francis Henry Portnall (b. 1886 Isle of Wight, Surrey, England – d. 1976 Regina, Sk.) His career as a Regina architect is well-documented. See the online Biographical Dictionary of Canadian Architects, for example. However, he was actively involved in the Regina art community as a planner and painter, too. A founding and last member of the Regina Sketch Club, he was its perennial president. He also exhibited with the LCW ALC and the WAA in Regina and in Saskatoon with the SAA. See their exhibition lists and also my post on Saskatchewan and the Two World Wars  and my post on the Regina Sketch Club for more information.

Fred Pye (b. 1 Dec 1882 in Hebden, Wadsworth, Yorkshire – d. 29 Sep 1964). Came to Estevan, Saskatchewan with his parents, Henry and Emma Pye, and siblings in 1904. (1906 Census of Prairie Provinces). He left the prairies early on. He gave his occupation as cartoonist when he crossed the border from Victoria, B.C. into the U.S. in 1913 on his way to New York. He studied art in Paris at the Academies Julian and Colarossi in the early to mid 1920s. The French government purchased a painting from one of his shows, Mer Agiteo, in December of 1926. This painting hung in the Luxembourg Museum but was lost or stolen during World War II.  He returned to Saskatchewan and Alberta periodically to visit family but seems to have lived in New York city, Cincinatti, Ohio and Des Moines, Iowa, where he exhibited and taught painting. See brief biography & samples of his paintings at Lowery Antiques website.  He kept up a correspondence with the Regina LCW Arts Committee and in 1928 this group showed 30  watercolour paintings he sent from Edmonton alongside their annual Saskatchewan art exhibit in November.

David Harold Payne  ( b. 15 Jan 1890 in London, England – d. 25 Dec 1950 in Vancouver, B.C.) Short biography at SNAC but I can add to it.

Born the son of Thomas and Annie Jackson Payne, David Payne attended the Royal College of Art in South Kensington, London and studied under Sir Alfred East, earning a bronze medal while he was there. David Payne arrived in Halifax, Canada in April of 1913. His profession was listed as decorator. He made his way to British Columbia and later settled in Regina. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 23 Jul 1915 at Regina. Gassed at Courcelette, France in 1916 during World War I, he eventually returned to Saskatchewan (1919) on the recommendation of doctors to assist his poor health.  Prior to leaving England, he married Eliza Kirker (b. 17 July 1888 in Belfast, Ireland – d. 3 Mar 1951 at Trail, B.C.) The Paynes had a son, Harold D. Payne, who was born in 1919, either in Ireland or in Canada.

David Payne was well known in Regina as a landscape painter. He was employed as a mail carrier in Regina for many years until his retirement to British Columbia in 1937. According to an article written on the occasion of his departure from Regina, he was planning on living in Nanaimo and devoting himself to painting. He then lived in Port Alice, according to local directories, where he worked at the paper mill.  He must have spent part of his B.C. residence in Vancouver but there is no record of him or his family in the annual directories of Vancouver after 1945. This is his obituary from the Vancouver Sun.

He was a frequent exhibitor in Regina art shows of the 1930s, both the WAA and LCW Arts & Letters Committee annual Saskatchewan artists exhibitions.  The first reference to him exhibiting with them is in 1920.  Exhibiting his paintings in Vancouver in 1924 and 1925 got him some press. The LCW sponsored a one man show of his work in Regina the week of May 28, 1925 at Regina College and Payne received much acclaim.  He also exhibited his work in Women’s Art Association annual exhibitions and was a founding member of the the Regina Junior Art League and the Regina FCA. Norman Mackenzie collected his work.

Payne is said to have exhibited his work internationally although the exhibition record has not been confirmed. He apparently had a showing of three of his paintings in Vancouver in 1924, sponsored by the B.C. Society of Fine Arts and according to the Vancouver Art Gallery’s artist files, he also had a solo show at the VAG  Nov. 4-Nov. 23, 1947. He gave a report on Vancouver’s art scene to a Regina Leader-Post reporter in 1945.

Emile Walters (b. 1893 in Winnipeg and died in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA in 1977).  Lived in North Dakota as a child and in Saskatoon for a few years (possibly only in summer times with relatives while he was a student in Chicago) and was well known as a painter in Saskatoon and Regina before leaving Canada to build a career as an artist in the U.S. in the 1920s. He exhibited as a solo visiting artist in Saskatoon (see Dec. 3, 1935, Dec. 4, 1935 & Dec. 6, 1935 SSP.) Paintings in Nutana Collegiate Collection and University of Saskatchewan collection.

Frederick Nicholas Loveroff ( b. 1894 in Russia, d. California, 1960) (Biography at SNAC) Loveroff was considered somewhat of a prodigy in Saskatchewan when he exhibited with his Regina art teacher’s class in 1912. (See link in Mary Magee bio). Although he essentially left the province early on, he did send shows of his work to the Normal School in Regina (eg. Mar. 2, 1921) and exhibited in the LCW arts committee’s annual Saskatchewan show in 1922. One of his paintings was bought for the Nutana Collegiate memorial collection in Saskatoon in the early 1920s. I found an article with a critic’s assessment of his work written by a CP staff writer which made its way into the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix on June 4, 1927.

Gordon Griffiths (b. 1885 South Wales – d. Sutherland (Saskatoon) , 1955  Biography at SNAC http://www.sknac.ca/index.php?page=ArtistDetail&id=149  Griffiths exhibited at Saskatoon fairs from as early as 1914  (scroll to end of article on page)and held solo exhibitions of his work in Saskatoon Oct. 27, 1931 and also exhibited his work with the Saskatoon Art Association.

William M. Holliston (b. 1875, Ontario – d. 1961, Saskatoon) School teacher and principal who often gave talks on elements of art and design to Saskatoon art clubs. He studied design in California and New York. Apr 12, 1941 SP (see ad). He taught in Saskatoon from 1903-1940 and seems to have taken up painting as a hobby in the 1940s after he retired, studying at the Banff School of Fine Arts and exhibiting his watercolours with the Saskatoon Art Association at the Saskatoon Art Centre. Holliston School in Saskatoon is named after him.

James L. Jenkin  (b. England no dates) Described as a former resident of Regina when he first moved to Saskatoon in 1931, James L. Jenkin operated a School of Art out of his home for about 5 years during the height of the Depression.  His credentials, his exhibitions and the activities of the school are outlined in the following Saskatoon Star-Phoenix items. Oct. 23 , 1931 SSP, LP Oct. 28, 1931, Sep 14, 1932 SSP, Sep. 23, 1933; Sep.11, 1933, Sep. 15, 1934; Feb. 14, 1934, Sep. 6, 1934; Jul 6, 1935, Sep. 23, 1936. Throughout this whole time, he worked as an accountant in Saskatoon, which he continued to do after he stopped advertising art classes and exhibiting.  He doesn’t seem to have been involved in exhibiting his own work in local societies. His son James A. Jenkin exhibited his own watercolour paintings in Saskatoon in the 1960s.

Ernest Luthi (b. 1906, Switzerland – d. 1983 Punnichy, Sask.) Bio at SNAC. Luthi exhibited frequently with the Saskatoon Art Association in the 1930s and 40s.

Horace George Parker (b. 1900 Wolverhampston, England – d. 1970 Victoria, B.C.) Arrived in Canada from England in 1930 and moved from Saskatoon to B.C. in 1943.  He was a French polisher by occupation and exhibited paintings with the Saskatoon Art Association, prior to the Art Centre period.

Stanley Brunst (b. 1894 Birmingham, England, d. 1962 Vancouver, B.C. Biography at SNAC http://www.sknac.ca/index.php?page=ArtistDetail&id=252 and at http://www.sharecom.ca/wc/brunst.html   Brunst exhibited at the Saskatoon fair in the early 1930s and with the Saskatoon Art Association in the late 1930s. He received some recognition in the newspaper in 1938 alongside Robert Hurley, as Saskatoon’s newest artists.  The Saskatoon press was still following his progress in Vancouver in 1941

Robert Newton Hurley (1894 London, England- d.Victoria, B.C. 1980) Biography at SNAC and at http://www.sharecom.ca/wc/hurley.html  Hurley exhibited with the Saskatoon Art Association in the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s.  He was an active member of the Saskatoon Art Association and the Saskatoon branch FCA. On Aug. 7 1945 he was interviewed on the subject of Saskatoon art by the Regina Leader Post. He was featured in a report alongside Stan Brunst in 1938 (see Brunst for link) and in another report on a two person show with Hilda Stewart on Aug. 12, 1944. In 1951 his watercolour paintings were chosen to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II on her first visit to Saskatchewan. See also  book by Jean Swanson, Sky Painter: The Story of Robert Newton Hurley  Saskatoon: Western Producer Book Service, 1973.

Joseph.S. Base – ( b. 1890 in England, d. 1942 Prince Albert, Sk.) Bio at SNAC www.sknac.ca/index Prince Albert’s J.S. Base exhibited with the Saskatoon Art Association  and P.A. Art Association n the 1930s. He had lived in Saskatoon in 1923-24 and had been an original member of the earlier Saskatoon Art Club. At that time he was an advertising manager for a furniture store.

Horace Watson Wickenden (b. 1901 England d. 1995, Saskatoon. Studied at U of S and Calgary. Taught English and Art in Saskatoon high schools. He was an active member of the Saskatoon Art Association and was likely the author of the uncredited, biweekly Art Centre column which appeared on Saturdays in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix between 1947 and 1949, when he was serving on the executive board of the Saskatoon Art Centre. Occasional exhibition reviews with the initials H.W.W. appeared in the newspaper in the 1940s. Resided in Saskatoon with wife Margaret,( b. 1915- d. 2000) who was also a painter but her exhibition years are from after 1950. There are biographies of the Wickendens at www.sknac.ca/index

Dr. Leslie G. Saunders – (b. London, 1895-d. 1968, Victoria, B.C.)Professor of Biology at U of S from 1925-1961. Associate of the Royal Photographic Society of London. More well-known as a photographer, Saunders also exhibited his watercolour paintings with the Saskatoon Art Association and was very active in the Saskatoon Art Centre until he retired from teaching. Biography at www.sknac.ca/index  He was a member of the Prospectors in 1949 (see clipping at bottom of this post) See also my Photography and Film post for more information and links on this artist’s photographic career.

Herbert Thompson Walker (b. 1898 Lancashire, England – d. 1991, Victoria, B.C.) Arrived in Saskatoon as a child in 1904.  A Saskatoon Post office employee from 1921, He was a private student of Madeline Barnett and exhibited his modelled sculpture with the Saskatoon Art Association 1928 – 1944 and Saskatoon FCA to 1948. He also taught clay modelling for the SAA in the 1940s. Married Ethel Silvester late in life and moved to B.C. in retirement.

Ernest Lindner (b. 1897 Vienna, Austria – d. Saskatoon, 1988)Biography at SNAC and at http://www.sharecom.ca/wc/lindner.html. Ernest Lindner was very professionally ambitious as an artist and attempted to organize Saskatchewan artists numerous times in the 1930s and 1940s.  He showed his work with all of the Saskatchewan exhibiting bodies in that era.  Most of the following articles in the Star-Phoenix focus on his exhibitions or personal activities: May 23, 1933; Oct. 14, 1933; Dec. 18, 1933; Oct. 8, 1935; Sep. 7, 1940; Apr.9, 1941; Apr. 9, 1945; May 28, 1945; Jun 13, 1946; Jan. 4, 1947. There are other articles having to do with his teaching career at Saskatoon Technical Collegiate and his many attempts to form professional associations in Saskatchewan. Because of his integral involvement with so many of them see my posts on Art Education, Early Saskatoon Art Organizations, Saskatoon Art Association and Saskatoon Art Centre and the Federation of Canadian Artist of Saskatchewan and other societies around 1950 where his name is in the forefront. He was also a member of an exhibiting society called the Prospectors, see clipping below at the end of this post. Also scroll down a bit to Illingworth Kerr for a link to a report on the 1945 Lindner/Kerr show initiated by the Regina FCA.

Robert D. Symons –  (b. 1898 England – d. Silton, Sk. 1973)  Biography at SNAC and at http://www.sharecom.ca/wc/symons.html  Symons exhibited in the LCW art committee’s annual shows in the 1930s and with the WAA

John Somers Perry (b. 1897 England – d. 1980 BC) Biography at SNAC    Exhibited in the LCW art committee’s annual shows in the 1930s. and in WAA shows of the same vintage. In 1947 Perry painted a portrait of Thomas Miller which now hangs in the Legislative Assembly.

Fred Steiger (b. 1899 in Trepau, Czechoslovakia – d. 1990 in Toronto, Ontario) There is a good resume of Fred Steiger’s career as a Canadian landscape artist at Artadoo website. However, it deals very little with his early career and the more than 15 years he lived in Saskatoon, where he was known as a character portraitist.  A commercial artist by profession, Steiger began his rise to artistic prominence in Saskatoon by exhibiting his portrait work in downtown locations. Apr. 2, 1934, Oct. 2, 1934 (scroll to left), Oct. 11, 1934. By managing where and how he exhibited his own work (i.e. sending it off to prestigious annual exhibits) he quickly got national attention. In Nellie McClung’s syndicated column July 14, 1938 he became the artist who symbolized Saskatchewan. His accolades were announced in the newspaper and it didn’t hurt that, unlike most Saskatchewan landscape painting, Steiger’s portraits were better suited to being reproduced in the newspaper. See: Apr. 14, 1938, Sep 3, 1938, Nov. 17, 1938, Dec. 24, 1938, Sept. 23, 1939, Dec. 16, 1939, Sept. 21, 1940, Oct. 10, 1940, Jan. 14, 1941, Jan. 20, 1941,Apr. 15, 1941, Nov. 15, 1941, Nov 28, 1942 SSP

Steiger’s last local exhibition of his paintings was in 1942 just before there was a terrible fire in his studio building, a fire which also affected other Saskatoon artists Edith Tyrie, Hilda Stewart, Augustus Kenderdine and most critically photographer Gordon Charmbury who was injured in the fire.  Steiger lost many paintings in this fire and moved to Toronto in 1943 although with family members in Saskatoon, he was still of interest in 1945 when a report on him appeared in the Star-Phoenix. Although Fred Steiger exhibited his paintings in the Saskatoon summer fair art exhibitions in the late 1930s, alongside other professional Saskatoon painters (1938,1939), he did not exhibit with the Saskatoon Art Association and only exhibited once in Regina with the WAA group exhibition in 1939. See a review of his paintings at the 1940 Saskatoon fair in this fair column Jul 25, 1940

Few other artists in Saskatchewan dealt with issues that affected the population in the way that Fred Steiger did and it is fascinating to note that his famous painting Drought was not only reproduced countless times to illustrate the Depression, but also inspired a poem written by a Regina author. When the Regina Leader-Post issued its Jubilee special on the history of the province on May 16, 1955, only Steiger’s paintings were used to illustrate an article on the Great Depression. Another of his paintings appeared for a different reason in the same issue on page 14.

Illingworth H. Kerr  (b. 1905 Lumsden, Sask. – d. 1989, Calgary) Biography at SNAC. Kerr exhibited his paintings in the LCW art committee’s annual exhibitions in the late 1920s and early 1930s and with the WAA throughout the 1930s. His studio was visited by Regina art club members in 1934 (Leader Post May 15, 1934, p. 8, cannot link) and he was given a solo exhibition by the LCW art committee in 1940.  Apr. 2, 1940 p.8  Fellow artist Garnet Hazard was moved to write a review of Kerr’s show at that time. Before he died in 1936, Norman Mackenzie took a great interest in Kerr’s career, hoping he would ultimately become a studio instructor for the University of Saskatchewan. (Mackenzie mentions him in letters to W.C. Murray at the U of S and H.O McCurry at the National Gallery). Kerr and Ernest Lindner had a two man show sponsored by the Regina FCA in 1945 (Oct.18, Oct. 19), the first travelling show organized by the Regina group for the Western Art Circuit.   In 1947, the year that the University might have been finally looking for an instructor to replace the late Gus Kenderdine, Kerr was appointed as head of the Art Department at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary, effectively ending his connection with Saskatchewan art. Sep. 13, 1947 Regina Leader Post.

Alfred W. Davey (b. 1907, England – d. 1986, Regina, Sk.) Biography at SNAC exhibited in the LCW art committee’s annual shows in the 1940s and with the WAA.  While in Saskatoon in the early 1930s, he was active with the Saskatoon Sketch Club. Most well known for his line drawings used in all kinds of publications, specifically for the 1955 provincial jubilee.

George Bryck – (b. 1899 Ukraine – d. 1960, Toronto, ON. ) See my Ecclesiastic Art post for biography. George Bryck exhibited his work at the Saskatoon Fair in the late 1930s in the prize competitions but doesn’t seem to have exhibited with the Saskatoon Art Association.

Charles Lemery – (b. 1909 in Saskatoon – d.1946, Portland, Oregon) see my Newspaper Cartoonists/Disney connection post for biography

Erdmann Penner – (b. 1905 in Rosthern, Sk. – d. 1956 in Los Angeles, California) See my Newspaper Cartoonists/Disney connection post for biography

Kenneth Branston (b. Ontario 1906 – d. Sask?) No online biography. Kenneth Branston was a frequent contributor to group art shows in Regina in the 1930s and 1940s (WAA & LCW). By 1916 his family had moved to Saskatchewan and lived at Kindersley.  Branston attended the Ontario College of Art, graduating in 1934 with a certificate in drawing and painting. In 1935 he was listed as an artist in Moose Jaw on the voter’s list. He later moved to Regina where he worked as a draughtsman for the provincial government until 1972.  He was a member of the Regina FCA.

George Campbell Tinning –  (b. 1910 in Saskatoon, Sask. – d. Montreal, 1996) See my Saskatchewan and the World Wars post for bio links.  Tinning exhibited with the LCW & WAA annual shows in the 1930s. Bio at SNAC  In 1948 the Regina Public Library bought two of his paintings while Tinning was in Saskatchewan doing a commission for the CNR. Sep. 25, 1948 Leader Post. See also SSP of same date for better story.

Bartley Pragnell Biography at SNAC. Pragnell first exhibited with the LCW art committee’s annual exhibitions in 1939 and he also exhibited with the WAA in the 1930s. He exhibited in Saskatoon as well and became a member of the Prospectors in 1949. See photo in article at end of this post.

William Garnet Hazard  (b. 1903, Ontario, d. Ontario, 1987) Biography at SNAC. Hazard exhibited with the LCW art committee’s annual exhibitions in the 1930s and early 1940s and with the WAA. The first mention I found of him was in Saskatoon when he came to give a talk at the Saskatoon Art Club in March, 1930.  The newspaper described him as director of art at Regina College. The Regina newspapers never mentioned this, only describing him as art director at Balfour Technical School. He was a great admirer of J.W. Bengough and often gave talks and demonstrations using sketches. Mar.4, 1933; May 18, 1934; Feb. 15, 1939; Oct. 31, 1939,  Leader Post. Hazard had a showing of his paintings and etchings by a former Reginan Leonard Watson at his home in 1940. Oct. 10 & Oct. 11  He went on to travel extensively in the early 1940s and have a successful career in Toronto. I remember staying in a downtown hotel in Toronto many years ago and finding Hazard paintings in the rooms and halls. He apparently wrote a book on his experiences during the Depression but no title was given in any of the chronicles that referred to it and I have not been able to find the book or its title online.

Donald B. Johnston – He exhibited in the LCW art committee’s annual exhibitions from the early  to mid 1930s (when he was a student at Balfour Technical School in Regina) and also with the WAA. He appears to have been a member of the Regina Sketch Club. Unfortunately, beyond what is written about him in exhibition reports, I cannot add anything to his biography.  Presumably, he moved on.

Nikola Bjelajac – b. 1919 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA d. Winnipeg, 2006) received an M.Sc. in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin. Came to the University of Saskatchewan in 1947 as a studio art instructor and stayed for two years, teaching at both Regina College and the campus in Saskatoon. He took a leave of absence in 1949 to return to the U.S. but did not return to Saskatchewan.  He later became an art professor at the University of Manitoba. His colleague at Milwaukee, Eli Bornstein, replaced Bjelajac in Saskatoon in 1950.

These last three artists had substantive careers after 1950 but began exhibiting in the 1940s in Saskatoon.

Mashel Teitelbaum (b. 1921 in Saskatoon, SK. – d. 1985 in Toronto, ON). Biography at SNAC As a young man, Teitelbaum attempted to put Saskatchewan art in the mainstream of Canadian art by opening a gallery in Regina called the RED DOOR. It was an unsuccessful project but the optimistic plans for it are laid out in this feature article in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix on Nov. 30, 1946. See also: From Regionialism to Abstraction: Mashel Teitelbaum and Saskatchewan Art in the 1940s. Mendel Art Gallery catalogue, 1991

Mac Hone and William Perehudoff both began their careers exhibiting with the Saskatoon Art Association, Hone from the 1930s and Perehudoff from the 1940s. This undated clipping reproduced below, probably from Jan. 1949 in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, shows several young artists with some older ones who joined together as a short-lived exhibiting unit called the Prospectors. Their debut exhibit travelled out of the province. Jean Swanson commented on the group in the SSP Feb. 17, 1949

MacGregor Hone (b. 1920 in Prince Albert, Sk. d. 2007 Sask.)  Biography at SNAC. As a highschool student in Saskatoon, Hone won a scholarship to attend the 1937 Emma Lake Art Camp.

William Perehudoff (b. 1919 Langham, SK. – d. 2013 Saskatoon) Biography at SNAC  Apart from mentions in late 1940s Saskatoon art exhibits, Perehudoff appears in a feature on art teaching at Langham in  Jan 17, 1947 SSP

 

 

Ecclesiastic Art in Saskatchewan prior to 1950

There are three known names associated with ecclesiastical art in Saskatchewan. Depending upon where a person lives, Saskatchewan people might have heard of at least one of them: Henry Metzger, Charles Maillard and Berthold von Imhoff (aka Imhoff). The former two are better known in the south of the province and in Regina and Imhoff is better known north of Saskatoon in North Battleford and Lloydminster.

Apart from them, whom I have known about for a long time, I learned a bit more information about ecclesiastical art in Saskatchewan from the newspaper scanning.  I also learned more about these three individuals and a couple of others whose names were unfamiliar to me.  I hesitated about putting their biographies in a post separate from my Some Early Men Artists of Saskatchewan but I think this oft forgotten group of artists deserves a special spotlight.

Father Henry Metzger – (1883-1949)

Saskatchewan Network for Art Collecting includes a short biography of Metzger which I would like to add information to. Read the biography they provide and then see the linked newspaper articles. http://www.sknac.ca/index.php?page=ArtistDetail&id=436 There is a more scholarly biography on the ASKART website:http://www.askart.com/askart/m/henry_metzger/henry_metzger.aspx

See: Leader on Aug. 15 and Aug. 16, 1917 for articles about the initial pilgrimage to the recently built shrine. The later article contains biographical details about Father Henry Metzger who lived with his sister Mme. Simon in Canada. She was a woodcarver and lacemaker. There is a little bit of information about Metzger’s activities in this short article. A 1925 report tells us he painted a portrait of Archbishop Mathieu which was shown in a Regina store window.

See his obituary in the Regina Leader Post, July 16, 1949 and an editorial written by Phan (Dale Phaneuf) in the July 25, 1949 edition

Apart from his paintings of religious imagery, he was also known as an Indian portrait painter and it was in that capacity that he had his only semi-solo show in Regina. In the third week of July, 1950, 45 paintings by James Henderson were shown along with 22 paintings by Metzger at the Regina fair in the Exhibition Grandstand gallery to memorialize the two pioneer painters who had recently died.  Both artists were known for their Indian portraits and landscapes.  Metzger only merits a small paragraph at the end because he was not as well known in Regina as Henderson was. However, Metzger had exhibited his work in annual LCW Saskatchewan artists exhibitions in Regina:  1923, 1924, 1927 & 1928, alongside Henderson. It is likely that he exhibited in other years then but his name is only mentioned in the reviews for these years.  Additionally, he received mention when he exhibited with the WAA in annual Saskatchewan artist exhibitions in 1930 and 1948. His non-ecclesiastical work was collected by individuals and institutions and was probably dispersed in the art market after his death.

For more visual images see the collections mentioned in the ASK ART entry and Canada’s Historic Places for St. Peter’s Church at Kronau: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=16225

St. Peter’s Church Heritage website for images of Metzger’s work and more about the Grotto and Church   http://www.stpeterskronau.ca/

Ecclesiatical art was usually judged on its adherence to conventional subjects and its academic style.  The work of a contemporary of Metzger’s in southeast Saskatchewan might provide some comparison.

Reverend Charles Maillard (1873-1939)

A short biography written in 1924’s Prominent People of Saskatchewan appears online as follows:

MAILLARD: Reverend Charles,. V.F., parish priest, Gravelbourg. Born at Montreuil, Sur-Mer, France, March 13th, 1873, son of Jules and Clemence (Vidier) Maillard. Educated at Lille University (France) Ottawa University. Parish priest of St. Lazare, Man.; 1904; Wolseley, Sask., 1907. Promoted to Gravelbourg parish, 1917.

However, there was an extra special feature in the Regina Leader of September 20, 1924, which unusually contained photographs, and the fascinating article with it provides many details on Father Maillard’s life and achievements.

 One of the photos in the feature with Maillard’s photo superimposed over Gravelbourg Cathedral,  1924.

Then there is a small article in 1933, marking the occasion of his leaving Gravelbourg.

To find out more about his achievements I recommend: http://gravelbourgcocathedral.com/fmaillard.html and the images on http://www.gravelbourgcocathedral.com/and http://musee.societehisto.com/charles-maillard-n372-t809.html

Some essays are in French but your browser will translate them. The latter essay has footnotes and even more detailed material can be found in those sources.  More photos of the interior decoration of this cathedral can be found on a Flickr page https://www.flickr.com/photos/dallasbohun/3204859563/

Father Maillard died in Quebec at the home of his sister in 1939.  He, like Metzger, received mention in the newspaper for exhibiting in Saskatchewan art shows,  in 1923 and 1924 with the LCW Saskatchewan Artists show in Regina and may have shown there without being mentioned in the newspaper. (See my post on LCW exhibitions)  Unlike Metzger, Father Maillard’s artwork doesn’t seem to be on the art market and it is likely that any non-ecclesiastical art he made, he took with him when he left Saskatchewan.

The third “big name” is a man who was not a priest.

 Berthold von Imhoff (1868 – 1939)

Berthold von Imhoff, however, painted the interior schemes of many churches in north-central Saskatchewan and in other places. Watch this short video at North Dakota Studies for an introduction to the artist and views of his ecclesiastic painting. http://www.ndstudies.org/media/prairie_churches_immigrant_church_artist

In the company of a friend over 25 years ago I visited a church I can’t remember the name of and went to interview the Imhoff family and visit Imhoff’s studio at St. Walburg, a very small town in the vicinity of North Battleford. We also made a trip to Lloydminster where a large collection of Imhoff paintings are held in the Barr Colony Museum.  His studio and home were delightful and I remember the experience as being quite singular – the family were determined to keep his work together as a collection and to maintain his home and studio as it was, then almost 50 years after his death.  As a result he has no presence on the art market and his work is not circulated in shows very often.

The articles I found about him were mainly posthumous although it was interesting to find out that in 1933 he painted a portrait of Liberal leader and former premier James C. Gardiner for the Liberal party headquarters in the Crown Building in Regina and that he painted portraits of a couple from Richard in 1937 who were being fêted for their pioneer status, Mr. and Mrs. Emile Richard, the founders of the town.

Imhoff can also be found on my exhibition list for the WAA as an artist who was mentioned in a 1932 report of their annual Saskatchewan artists exhibition in Regina.  The Star-Phoenix obituary (below) mentioned that Imhoff exhibited a couple of times in Saskatoon at the Eaton’s store and at the Hudson’s Bay Company but no years were given and it took me some time to come up with this announcement tucked into an Eaton’s ad in the 1934 Star-Phoenix (scroll up from title in link). No report or review was published that I can find.  He didn’t exhibit with any Saskatoon art organizations so these must have been solo shows.

Both the Star-Phoenix and the Leader-Post marked his passing in 1939 with separately written obituaries:  SP Dec. 20, 1939 and RLP Dec. 21, 1939.

Just a few months before his death he was still working when the RLP wrote a profile of him in Oct. 1939. I enjoyed reading  about the experience of the profiler going to visit his studio.  I experienced much the same thing fifty years later. An earlier profile written in 1936 in the Star-Phoenix also is very descriptive of his home and studio at St. Walburg when he was in residence.

Other profiles date from much later. In Mar. 31, 1958 an editorial in the SSP discussed the fate of the paintings, noting their significance. Since Google News Archive also has the Reading Eagle (Pennsylvania), you can look at another perspective on Imhoff and his work from a Mar. 15, 1972 article. He did the decorative work for a lot of churches there before moving to Saskatchewan.

I know that people have published some research about all three of these artists but I don’t think any proper study putting them in their Saskatchewan context has been done.  All of them were clearly accomplished artists in terms of their technical training, certainly better trained than most Saskatchewan artists of the time, yet they don’t really ever figure in discussions of Saskatchewan art history.  There is, of course, a modern prejudice against anyone who wasn’t carrying forward the tradition of the new on canvas.  It is quite true that none of them advanced the cause of modern art but that’s not what they were about.  They deserve a study which places them in their own context.

A long time ago, I found it interesting that Metzger and Imhoff, both of German extraction, were so drawn to representing the indigenous people around them in Indian portraits. For more about this see my Image of the Indian post.

Another ecclesiastical painter I only found out about through newspaper scanning was Emile Mayeur (b. 1880, Valenciennes, France) who apparently was living in Dumas, Saskatchewan when he brought some of his paintings into Regina for a showing at St. Mary’s Church hall. He was announced in the newspaper as a French artist although he had been living in Canada since 1911. The second article says he painted a portrait of Sir Wilfred Laurier but doesn’t mention who it was for.  Since this is the only writing I found on him, I am not sure he stayed there but he seems to have lived in Saskatchewan long enough to qualify as a Saskatchewan artist.

For more information about the ghost town of Dumas see the Francophone virtual Museum of Saskatchewan: http://musee.societehisto.com/dumas-et-high-view-n381-t728.html

Emile Mayeur may have moved on or succumbed to his illness. While these people are conventionally what we think of when ecclesiastical art is mentioned, painting is only one kind of decoration that was used in churches, and even then in Saskatchewan, only in various types of Catholic churches.

I have only found one article on a Ukrainian church painter, designer and sculptor.  In 1940 the Saskatoon Arts & Crafts Society was introduced to George Bryck, at the Ukrainian Hall on Avenue G. Born in Ukraine in 1899, this artist had been in Saskatoon since 1931.  Details about his life, training and career to 1940 can be found in the report on the club’s visit.  Bryck had to be one of the most well-trained and versatile artists in Saskatoon during this era but he doesn’t appear to have participated in local shows or in art groups and so far, I have been unable to find anything about him online but surely there must be some remnants of his work in Saskatoon. See a brief mention of his work in the 1939 fair’s art exhibition.

2016 update on Bryck: I was going through my old files and found a clipping I’d made from the Saskatoon Sun, Apr. 27, 1997 of an article written by Bob Kowaluk for the Municipal Heritage Society Advisory Committee which  featured a couple of photographs of the interior of the Ukrainian National Federation Hall at 228 Ave. G. South in Saskatoon.  According to the author Yurko Bryk was a graphic artist for New Pathway Publishers while in Saskatoon. Bryk moved to Ontario in the 1940s where he did decorative work and paintings and sculpture in churches in Oshawa and Windsor. He died in Toronto in 1960.

Ukrainian National Hall built in 1932, Saskatoon Sun Apr. 27, 1997, p. B15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is usually documentary evidence to be found about the decoration of large cathedrals or parish churches in Saskatchewan.  You only have to look to find another article like the one on Mathieu (above).  But there is less and less information on small Protestant churches, Jewish synagogues and other religious buildings as time goes by.

I don’t believe there has been an exhibition dedicated to ecclesiastical art in Saskatchewan since the women of the Western Art Association held one in June, 1911.  They gathered together needlework of all kinds and other valuable objects made for or brought to the pioneer Anglican churches of Saskatchewan.  It is worth reading the description of the exhibition to find out what they thought was important (See link under Western Art Association post).  In an article written about a year later we find out that there was a Qu’appelle Association in England who had been supplying the new churches in the Diocese of Qu’appelle with all kinds of furnishings, including embroidered cloths for sacral use.  It might be a project for someone to start researching  where this Qu’appelle Association was based and see what records they have in order to start to make an inventory of this branch of art in Saskatchewan. I found one other mention of the local Qu’Appelle association in this brief report.

Additionally, someone might want to survey churches where sacred objects were made locally or known to be imported. I found a couple of examples of this while scanning. Sept. 3, 1921 Morning Leader about a stained glass window design and July 23, 1949 Leader Post about a 600 year old statue from France in Ponteix.

I know that the ladies of Cannington Manor supplied most of the decoration for their little Anglican church in the 19^th Century.  There are many other vintage churches in Saskatchewan which must have stories about who made the objects and furnishings in their keeping, stories that, if known, are usually confined to small local museums.  As these buildings are continually being abandoned, it is time to do this now.  As I have found out, there is precious little information in the old newspapers on this subject so it can’t wait until later.

Having said that, you can find lots of articles on old churches in the newspapers.  I was lucky enough to come across a Jan. 28,1933 RLP photograph of an 1884 painting of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the first Anglican church in Regina, built in 1883.

The above photo was featured in the Leader Post to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the church which had been rebuilt in 1894. The second version of the church looked like this in 1933.  Then in 1943 I ran across an article about the contemporary existence of the first church, which featured a photograph of how the church in the 1884 painting looked then. Perhaps St. Paul’s still owns the old painting. See Wikipedia on St. Paul’s Cathedral for photographs of the church as it looks today.

©Lisa G. Henderson