Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BACKDROP

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1940

Materials

CANVAS, WOOD, ROPE

No. Pieces

1

Length

594.3

Description

PAINTED CANVAS ATTACHED TO SLATS OF WOOD. CANVAS IS A DIRTY MUSTARD COLOR. PAINTING ON ONE SIDE OF CANVAS CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING IMAGES: BURGUNDY VELVET CURTAINS, WITH GREEN & YELLOW TRIM, THAT ARE DRAWN TO THE SIDES BY YELLOW TASSELED ROPES; PILLARS AND A RAIL OF LIGHT GREEN MARBLE; A BACKGROUND OF PINK STRIPED WALLPAPER; AN OVAL FRAME WITH A SCENE WITHIN OF TREES, BUSHES, AND FLOWERS, A GAZEBO WITH A FLAG ON TOP, AND A BOAT ON A BODY OF WATER IN THE BACKGROUND. WITHIN FRAME IS SIGNED "R. BARROWMAN CITY SIGN WORKS". THERE IS A LENGTH OF YELLOW ROPE AT EACH END OF MURAL. (SEE PHOTOS ATTACHED TO HARD COPY).

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

FINE ARTS

ETHNOGRAPHIC

History

DONOR STATES THAT HE WAS TOLD MURAL WAS USED BY THE CHINESE NATIONAL LEAGUE DURING ANNIVERSARIES, CHINESE NEW YEARS, AND CHINESE DOMINION DAY (OCT 10), BUT THAT HE HAS BEEN A RESIDENT OF LETHBRIDGE SINCE 1949 AND NOT ONCE EVER SEEN THE MURAL IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE BUILDING. ARTIST, ROBERT BARROWMAN WAS BORN NEAR GLASGOW, SCOTLAND IN 1881. HE BEGAN CREATING ART AT AN EARLY AGE WHEN HE SKETCHED MANY SCENES OF HIS NATIVE LAND. HE WAS EMPLOYED ON THE CLYDE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS IN SHIPBUILDING. LEAVING SCOTLAND IN 1907 HE TRAVELLED TO CANADA AND SECURED EMPLOYMENT WITH THE BLUE RIBBON TEA COMPANY IN TORONTO. AFTERWARDS, HE WENT TO PETERBOROUGH WHERE HE SERVED WITH A FIRM NAMED TURNER'S, ENGAGED IN PAINTING OF SIGNS AND MANUFACTURE OF TENTS AND AWNINGS. TRAVELLING WEST, MR. BARROWMAN STOPPED FOR A SHORT TIME IN SASKATOON AND ARRIVED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1910. HE AT ONCE PURCHASED THE CITY SIGN WORKS WHICH HAD BEEN STARTED TWO YEARS PREVIOUSLY IN LETHBRIDGE. IN 1912 MR BARROWMAN MARRIED MISS CATHARINE SHEARER IN LETHBRIDGE. TOGETHER THEY HAD 3 DAUGHTERS: MAY, DEVINA, AND VICTORIA. IN 1920 ROBERT ADDED TO HIS BUSINESS HOLDINGS BY THE PURCHASE OF THE LETHBRIDGE POSTING CO. WHICH CONTROLLED SIGNBOARDS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. IN 1945 MR. BARROWMAN SOLD HIS BUSINESS INTERESTS TO HOOK SIGNS, LTD., OF CALGARY. MR BARROWMAN WAS THE FIRST ELECTED AS AN ADVISORY COMMISSIONER IN THE CITY IN 1924, SERVING IN THAT CAPACITY IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER UNTIL 1928. IN THAT YEAR HE WAS ELECTED AS AN ALDERMAN AND BECAME THE FIRST MAYOR UNDER THE NEW CITY MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT. HE ACTED AS CITY MANAGER UNTIL SEPTEMBER, 1928. HE SERVED CONTINUOUSLY AS MAYOR UNTIL 1934 WHEN HE WITHDREW FROM CITY POLITICS. HE THEN TURNED TO PROVINCIAL POLITICS, BEING ACTIVE IN AFFAIRS OF THE LIBERAL PARTY. HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE ALBERTA LIBERAL ASSOCIATION AND SERVED IN THAT CAPACITY DURING THE DAYS OF THE SOCIAL CREDIT LANDSLIDE IN 1935. HE WAS TWICE THE LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR LETHBRIDGE CONSTITUENCY IN PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS, BUT WAS TWICE DEFEATED. ADDITIONALLY, MR. BARROWMAN WAS: A MEMBER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY, MEMBER OF THE GALT HOSPITAL BOARD, ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE LETHBRIDGE AQUATIC CLUB, ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE BOARD OF TRADE FOR WHICH HE SERVED AS PRESIDENT IN 1936, A PIONEER MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE ROTARY CLUB FOR WHICH HE ACTED AS PRESIDENT IN 1928-29, MEMBER OF THE OLD LETHBRIDGE PLAYGOERS' CLUB, MEMBER OF LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, MEMBER OF ST. ANDREW'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, AND ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE ST. ANDREW SOCIETY. (TAKEN FROM LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLE FEB. 18, 1947). *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB. THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB HELD THEIR FIRST MEETING AT THE HOME OF MISS ANNA MACKENZIE ON OCTOBER 7, 1936. EDITH FANNY KIRK WAS THE FIRST ART TEACHER IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE CAME FROM BRITAIN WITH CLASSICAL TRAINING AND IT WAS KIRK WHO SET THE STAGE FOR THE SKETCH CLUB TO COME INTO BEING. THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE FORMATION BY PROVIDING RECOGNITION OF ARTISTIC MERIT THROUGH DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIPS. ANNA MACKENZIE AND P.J. COLLINS CONCEIVED OF THE CLUB AFTER THEIR EXPERIENCE IN BANFF. THE GROUP WAS FORMED OUT OF AN ENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST IN ART AND SOON AFTER THE GROUP BEGAN MEETING, THERE WERE REGULAR EXHIBITIONS. THE GROUP WAS PRIVY TO THE ATTENTION OF GROUP OF SEVEN ARTIST A.Y.JACKSON WHEN HE MADE HIS FREQUENT SKETCHING TRIPS TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA. HE REGULARLY ACCOMPANIED THE SKETCH CLUB AND HIS INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN IN MUCH OF THEIR WORK. ANOTHER GUEST OF THE GROUP WAS ANNORA BROWN WHO WAS AN ARTIST WHO HAD TRAINED IN TORONTO, BUT RESIDED IN FORT MACLEOD AND BEGAN SPENDING TIME WITH THE GROUP IN 1939. HER INTEREST IN FLOWER STUDIES IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE INSPIRED MANY OF THE WORKS BY CLUB MEMBERS. DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, THE GROUP ORGANIZED SUMMER CLASSES TAUGHT BY OUT OF TOWN ARTISTS SUCH AS: H.G.GLYDE, WALTER J. PHILIPS AND A.C. LEIGHTON. ACCORDING TO A HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB WRITTEN BY JOAN STEBBINS IN JUNE, 1985, “THE PAINTINGS OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB PORTRAY FAVOURITE SKETCHING AREAS IN THE REGION – THE COULEES PROVIDED ENDLESS MATERIAL, THE RIVERBOTTOM, THE OLD R.C.M.P. BARRACKS, THE WHITNEY FARM, HENDERSON LAKE, THE FELGER HUTTERITE COLONY, THE FOOTHILLS AND WATERTON LAKE WERE OFTEN REPEATED SUBJECTS.”

Catalogue Number

P20010027000

Acquisition Date

2002-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail