Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

FOUND BEFORE IT'S TO LATE

Date

1927

Materials

PEN, INK

No. Pieces

1

Height

57

Length

65.5

Description

DRAWING DEPICTS A MAN WITH HIS DOG AND HORSE IN A BLIZZARD. MAN IS CROUCHING DOWN HOLDING HIS DOG. TWO BLURRY FIGURES ARE ALSO DISPLAYED ON HORSES IN THE BACKGROUND. WORK IS FRAMED, MATTED AND SIGNED ON BOTH MAT AND PRINT.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

DONATION WAS THE RESULT OF THE ESTATE BEQUEST OF THE LATE MR. CAMERON WEBSTER. DONOR STATED THAT "CAMERON WAS THE (NEARLY) LIFELONG COMPANION OF TED'S SISTER VIOLET. WHEN CORA DIED SHE GAVE SOME THINGS TO VIOLET AND THE OTHER SISTER FREDA ALSO GAVE ITEMS TO VIOLET WHEN SHE PASSED ON. SO THINGS ACCUMULATED WITH VIOLET. WHEN SHE DIED UNFORTUNATELY SHE MADE VERY LITTLE OR FEW INDICATION AS TO WHAT TO DO WITH THINGS EXCEPT A PENCIL SCRAWL ON SOME THINGS SAYING GIVE THIS TO THE 'BOYS'. THE DONOR ASSUMED SHE MENT BARNETT AND MY DAD (THE DONOR'S FATHER). ALL OTHER THINGS WERE LEFT TO CAMERON". AS THE DONOR UNDERSTOOD IT. EDWARD FREDRIC "TEDDY" HAGELL WAS BORN JUNE 20, 1895 IN COALDALE, ALBERTA. HIS FATHER, EDWARD HAGELL, ARRIVED IN LETHBRIDGE FROM ENGLAND IN ABOUT 1800 WITH HIS WIFE, WHO DIED WITH THE BIRTH OF HER FIRST CHILD, KATE. ELLEN, KATE'S SISTER, WAS SENT FROM ENGLAND TO MARRY EDWARD AND RAISE KATE; SHE TRAVELED BY OXCART FROM MEDICINE HAT. EDWARD HAGELL STARTED THE FIRST NEWSPAPER IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA. EDWARD AND ELLEN HAD FOUR CHILDREN: VIOLET, FREDA, ALBERT, AND EDWARD (TEDDY). TEDDY BEGAN DRAWING AT THE AGE OF 2 1/2 YEARS, WINNING NUMEROUS COMPETITIONS WITHOUT HAVING ANY FORMAL TRAINING. HE WAS A SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST, THOUGH HE DID TAKE SOME LESSONS IN ETCHING WHILE IN VANCOUVER. E.F. HAGELL GAINED FAME AS A CANADIAN RANGE RIDER AND ARTIST, DEPICTING THE EARLY CATTLE COUNTRY IN MUCH OF HIS WORK. HIS FATHER AND TWO UNCLES HOMESTEADED AND ESTABLISHED THE 'THREE LINKS' CATTLE RANCH WEST OF CARDSTON, IN THE MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT. HAGELL'S OWN EXPERIENCE OF RANCHING COMPLEMENTED HIS LOVE OF THE OUTDOORS, FROM WHICH HE DEVELOPED HIS OWN UNIQUE STYLE IN THE TRADITION OF ARTISTS SUCH AS ROSA BONHEUR, CHARLES RUSSEL, AND FREDRICK REMINGTON. GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL IN LETHBRIDGE, E.F. HAGELL MARRIED CORA MARIE PELLETIER IN 1919 AND THE COUPLE LEFT FOR LOS ANGELES THAT YEAR. THEY HAD THREE CHILDREN BORN IN 1920, 1922, AND 1923, BEFORE MOVING TO VANCOUVER IN 1929. HAGELL HAD THE FIRST ONE-MAN EXHIBITION AT THE VANCOUVER ART GALLERY WHEN IT OPENED IN 1932. THAT YEAR THE FAMILY RETURNED TO COALDALE, WHERE THEY STAYED UNTIL MOVING TO CALGARY IN 1935, AND BACK TO LETHBRIDGE TWO YEARS LATER. IN THE MID 1940S THE HAGELLS MOVED TO BRAMPTON, ONTARIO, WHERE THEY REMAINED UNTIL SETTLING IN PINCHER CREEK IN 1952. E.F. HAGELL RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE JUST PRIOR TO HIS DEATH IN 1964, AT THE AGE OF 69. THE WORK OF E.F. HAGELL IS UNIQUE IN THAT IT WAS CONFINED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRAIRIE AND MOUNTAIN SCENES OF WESTERN CANADA. MANY OF HIS WORKS REPRODUCED INCIDENTS HE SAW AND EXPERIENCED AND MOST PIECES WERE DONE IN PEN AND INK. EVERY ONE OF HIS DRAWINGS OR PAINTINGS CONTAINED AT LEAST ONE ANIMAL; HE HAD LITTLE INTEREST IN DEPICTING PEOPLE. HAGELL WISHED, THROUGH HIS WORK, TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE WEST BEFORE MECHANIZATION WAS INTRODUCED. E.F. HAGELL RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION THROUGH A SERIES OF PRINTS AND ETCHINGS CIRCULATED THROUGH THE CANADIAN NATIONAL PARKS. COLLECTIONS OF HIS WORK WERE SHOWN IN OR RECOGNIZED BY THE BEAVER CLUB IN LONDON, THE ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY, THE LONDON ILLUSTRATED NEWS, VISTA DEL ARROYA--PASSADENA, PAINTERS AND ETCHERS OF ONTARIO, AND THE GLENBOW FOUNDATION IN CALGARY (WHERE A MAJOR COLLECTION OF HIS WORKS IS HOUSED). HIS FIRST MAJOR EXHIBITION WAS IN CALIFORNIA, WITH SUBSEQUENT SHOWS IN OKLAHOMA; TEXAS; THE SPORTSMAN'S SHOW IN TORONTO; THE CALGARY STAMPEDE; THE 1951 LETHBRIDGE EXHIBITION AND RODEO; THE CALGARY PETROLEUM CLUB; AND AN EXHIBIT STAGED POSTHUMOUSLY BY HIS WIFE IN 1970, AT THE PROVINCIAL MUSEUM IN VICTORIA, B.C. DURING HIS CAREER AS AN ARTIST, HAGELL PAINTED AND DREW ABOUT 1500 WORKS. HE ALSO BEGAN WRITING IN 1930, LATER PUBLISHING A COLLECTION OF POEMS AND SHORT STORIES. HE WORKED IN VARIOUS OTHER JOBS THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE, BUT MAINLY IN WINDOW TRIMMING AND INTERIOR DISPLAY FOR DEPARTMENT STORES. ACCORDING TO HIS SON, BARNETT, TEDDY COULD NOT MAKE A LIVING FROM HIS ART BECAUSE IF HE SHOWED IN NEW YORK HIS WORK WAS CONSIDERED TOO CANADIAN AND IN TORONTO IT WAS TOO WESTERN. HE WAS NOT A GOOD SALESMAN FOR HIS OWN WORK AS HE CONSIDERED THE PEOPLE WHO ATTENDED THE EXHIBITION COCKTAIL PARTIES TO BE PHONEY AND INSINCERE. HE HAD A GREAT LOVE FOR THE PRAIRIES AND FARMING, AND WAS A GREAT STORYTELLER, ESPECIALLY TO CHILDREN. ACCORDING TO BARNETT, TEDDY AND CORA WORKED VERY HARD TO MATTE AND FRAME DRAWINGS FOR DISPLAYS, WORK WHICH THEY DID WITHOUT HELP. E.F. HAGELL WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF CANADA'S FOREMOST ARTISTS. FOR ADDITIONAL HISTORY SEE PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING THE VARIOUS DONATIONS PERTAINING TO EDWARD FREDERICK HAGELL. SEE RECORD P19960053001 FOR AN EXTENDED BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST; SEE PERMANENT FILES P19960053001, P20040009001, P20060027001, P20070008001, AND P20070012001 FOR NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, DETAILS ON PAST GALT DIRECTOR/CURATOR WILMA WOOD'S BOOK ON THE ARTIST, AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE HAGELL FAMILY.

Catalogue Number

P20040009003

Acquisition Date

2004-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail