Material Type

Artifact

Date

1969

Materials

WOOD, PAPER, INK

No. Pieces

1

Height

4.4

Length

41.0

Width

30.4

Description

PEN AND INK DRAWING WITH WOODEN BROWN FRAME. DRAWING DEPICTS CITY STREET SCENE, BUILDING IN LEFT OF PICTURE WITH SIGN READING, "H. GOODMAN." SIGNED IN LOWER LEFT CORNER, "FRANCIS BURR, '69." BROWN SPOT ON RIGHT SIDE OF DRAWING, PAPER ON BACK OF FRAME TORN.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

GALT GIFT SHOP MANAGER MICHELLE CHRISTENSEN ALERTED TECH KEVIN MACLEAN IN OCTOBER 2008 THAT DRAWINGS HAD BEEN UNPACKED THAT WERE ORIGINALLY RECEIVED BY THE STORE IN LATE 2004-05 AT THE MUSEUM EXPANSION INTERNEM STORE LOCATED AT PARK PLACE MALL. THE DRAWINGS WERE DONATIONS TO THE GALT BUT NO RECORD WAS MADE AS TO WHO THE DONOR WAS NOR WAS THE COLLECTIONS MADE AWARE OF THE DONATION AT THE TIME. POSSIBLE THAT THIS DRAWING WAS DISPLAYED IN THE KALEIDARTS BUILDING DURING THE LETHBRIDGE AND DISTRICT EXHIBITION, AS FRANCIS BURR WAS REPORTEDLY EXHIBITING THERE IN 1971. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. SHE FOUND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTIST, FRANCIS BURR, IN COPIES OF LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES AND BURR'S OBITUARY IN PERMANENT FILE P20080035001: GEOFFREY FRANCIS BURR WAS BORN IN ENGLAND IN 1901, AND FARMED NORTH OF TORONTO BEFORE COMING WEST IN 1925. IN 1944 HE CAME TO LETHBRIDGE WITH THE VETERAN'S GUARD AND IN 1948 OPENED THE MEDIEVAL PRINTING SHOP. HE ALSO WORKED AS THE NIGHT MAN AT THE BLUEBIRD MOTEL UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1965. BURR IS LISTED AS A MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB IN A REVIEW OF A SKETCH CLUB EXHIBITION IN THE NOVEMBER 28, 1946 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, AND HAD HIS WORKS DISPLAYED ALONG WITH THOSE OF P.J. COLLINS IN A 1971 SHOW AT THE LETHBRIDGE AND DISTRICT EXHIBITION GROUNDS. FRANCIS BURR PASSED AWAY ON JULY 15, 1978. 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

P20080035001

Acquisition Date

2008-11

Collection

Museum

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