Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

COLUMBIA RIVER NEAR GOLDEN, BC - EDITH KIRK

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1935

Materials

PAPER, WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

43.8

Length

56.5

Width

2.3

Description

WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER. WOOD FRAME, PAINTED GOLD. TAN AND MAROON MATTINGS. BEHIND GLASS. "CASTLE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN BANFF & LAKE LOUISE" FOREGROUND CENTRE IS A RIVER, MEANDERING THROUGH TREES ON BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT FORE/MID-GROUND. BACKGROUND IS MOUNTAINOUS. LOTS OF GREEN IN PAINTING. SIGNED "E. F. KIRK" BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. ON REVERSE OF PAINTING, ENCAPSULATED IN MYLAR AND TAPED ONTO THE BACK, IS A PIECE OF BOXBOARD, HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK IN: "COLUMBIA RIVER, FLOWING NORTH, AT GOLDEN, B.C." METAL WIRE FOR HANGING ON BACK AS WELL. EXCELLENT CONDITION. MOSTLY ONLY MINOR WEAR ON EDGES OF FRAME, HOWEVER A PIECE OF FRAME IS MISSING IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

THIS PAINTING WAS DONATED BY FRED ROYCROFT. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, PROVIDED AT THE TIME OF DONATION, ROYCROFT EXPLAINS HOW THE PAINTING CAME INTO HIS POSSESSION: "MISS KIRK GAVE MY FATHER THE PAINTING. IT HUNG IN OUR HOUSE AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER AND MY MOTHER GAVE IT TO ME AFTER HE DIED. I KNOW FEW DETAILS, OTHER THAN THAT DAD WAS ONE OF HER STUDENTS. HE HAD STOPPED PAINTING BY THE TIME I WAS BORN AND ONLY PAINTED ONE OTHER PICTURE, FOR A FRIEND, THAT I KNOW OF. HOWEVER, HE SKETCHED CONSTANTLY, OFTEN DOING PORTRAITS OF OTHER CUSTOMERS IN THE COFFEE SHOP HE FREQUENTED, ON NAPKINS, WHICH HE THREW AWAY." THE DONOR'S FATHER WAS REV. THOMAS WILLIAM ROYCROFT, WHO WAS MINISTER OF THE CHRISTIAN TABERNACLE, AND WHO PASSED AWAY DECEMBER 20, 1981. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HIS OBITUARY. ACCORDING TO "A LEGACY OF ADVENTURE AND ART: THE LIFE OF MISS EDITH FANNY KIRK", "THOMAS (TOM) W. ROYCROFT STUDIED WITH MISS KIRK FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS (APPROXIMATELY 1926-1930) AFTER STUDYING COMMERCIAL ART AND ILLUSTRATION THROUGH A CORRESPONDENCE COURSE. TOM LEFT EVIDENCE THAT HE, TOO, COPIED MANY OF MISS KIRK'S OWN PAINTINGS. HE PAINTED, REPAIRED WATCHES, AND DID PASTORAL WORK IN THE LETHBRIDGE CHRISTIAN TABERNACLE. ALTHOUGH HE RARELY SHOWED HIS WORK PUBLICLY, THE ROYCROFT FAMILY VALUES AND ENJOYS HIS PAINTINGS." (P. 62) THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON EDITH KIRK, THE ARTIST, WAS DEVELOPED BY GALT CURATOR WENDY AITKENS IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2015 KIRK EXHIBIT AT THE GALT MUSEUM: "FOR 35 YEARS, LETHBRIDGE WAS THE HOME OF AN ACCOMPLISHED AND WELL KNOWN ARTIST AND ART TEACHER. EDITH FANNY KIRK, OR MISS KIRK AS MOST PEOPLE CALLED HER, CREATED WATERCOLOUR LANDSCAPES OF ENGLAND, VANCOUVER, LETHBRIDGE, WATERTON, BANFF, AND JASPER. SHE TAUGHT MANY CHILDREN AND ADULTS THE SKILLS OF PAINTING. SHE ALSO SPOKE AT THE MATHESIS CLUB PRESENTING PAPERS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN ART, THE EVOLUTION OF ART AND ART APPRECIATION. JOAN STEBBINS, PAST CURATOR AT THE SAAG, CREDITS THE INFLUENCE OF KIRK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH (NOW ARTISTS') CLUB IN THE 1930S. WHEN KIRK ARRIVED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1918, SHE WAS 60 YEARS OLD. SHE WAS BORN IN 1858 AND WAS RAISED IN YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND. HER MOTHER, FANNY (NEE MAUGHAM) PASSED AWAY WHEN EDITH WAS A YOUNG GIRL AND HER FATHER REMARRIED. THE STORY, FROM SECOND HAND SOURCES, WAS THAT SHE AND HER STEP MOTHER DID NOT LIKE ONE ANOTHER. THIS PROVIDED TO BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE BECAUSE KIRK WAS SENT AWAY TO STUDY ART AND SHE STUDIED IN SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON, AND PARIS. DURING HER SUMMERS SHE JOINED ARTIST'S COLONIES IN CORNWALL, WALES, AND YORKSHIRE. KIRK WROTE OF IMPRESSIONIST PAUL CEZANNE BEING HER "MODEL AND INSPIRATION" AND SHE GREATLY ADMIRED ROMANTIC ARTIST JOHN SELL COTMAN. KIRK NEVER MARRIED AND IMMIGRATED TO CANADA AT THE AGE OF 46. SHE ARRIVED IN HALIFAX ABOARD THE HMS CANADA IN APRIL 1905. THE PASSENGER LIST INDICATED SHE WAS TRAVELING ON TO VANCOUVER AND HER OCCUPATION WAS LISTED AS A GOVERNESS. IT SEEMS SHE DIDN'T STAY LONG IN VANCOUVER BUT SOON TRAVELLED TO ATLIN, B.C. TO GET TO ATLIN, KIRK WOULD HAVE TAKEN A SHIP TO SKAGWAY, THE WHITE PASS RAILWAY TO CARCROSS AND THEN AN OVERLAND AND BOAT TRIP TO ATLIN. IT IS A MYSTERY WHY SHE CHOSE TO GO TO A REMOTE GOLD RUSH TOWN IN NORTH WESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA. BY 1911 KIRK IS BOARDING WITH THE WOODS FAMILY IN LILLOOET, B.C. NORTHWEST OF KAMLOOPS, WHERE SHE WORKED AS A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER. SEVEN YEARS LATER KIRK IS IN LETHBRIDGE. IT SEEMS SHE KNEW PEOPLE LIVING IN TABER, INCLUDING DR. ALFRED HAMMAN AND HIS SISTER MRS. SYLVIA GIDMAN, WHO CAME FROM HER HOMELAND IN ENGLAND SO CHOSE TO VISIT. THE CHARM OF THE PRAIRIES AND MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPES OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA ENTICED HER TO STAY. KIRK LIVED IN THE VICTORIA MANSION AND THE TRAVELLER'S AID SOCIETY BUILDING AND SHE TAUGHT ART CLASSES AT THE YMCA FOR A FEW DOLLARS A MONTH." KIRK PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1953. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE OTHER KIRK DONATIONS, INCLUDING: P19820004000, P19960095000, P20090016*, P20140012*, P20140020*, P20140021000, P20150008000, P20150019000, P20150024000, P20150029000, AND P20150030000. SEE ALSO, "A LEGACY OF ADVENTURE AND ART: THE LIFE OF MISS EDITH FANNY KIRCK" BY WENDY AITKENS, SPECIFICALLY PAGES 60-62. ALSO SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20150030000

Acquisition Date

2015-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail