Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HENDERSON LAKE IN 1924

Date

1924

Materials

WOOD, BRASS

No. Pieces

1

Length

48.5

Width

31.4

Description

OIL. BRASS PLATE ON FRAME READS: "HENDERSON LAKE IN 1924 BY E.E. RIETHMAN PRESENTED BY HIS FAMILY, JAN. 9-1965". DEPICTS ADULTS AND CHILDREN ON BEACH AND IN LAKE, BRIDGE IN BACKGROUNDE. "E.R." IN LOWER LEFT CORNER. COLOURS: BLUE, WHITE, GREY, GREEN, RED, YELLOW & BLACK.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

ALBERTA ARTIST, ERNIE RIETHMAN WAS AN EARLY MEMBER OF LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST, ERNEST EDWARD RIETHMAN, WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM A LETHBRIDGE HERALD TRIBUTE ARTICLE FROM DECEMBER 24, 1964, AND RECORD P20120030007. ERNEST RIETHMAN WAS BORN IN 1895 IN SWITZERLAND AND STUDIED ART AT AN ACADEMY IN BASIL, THEN AT THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DECORATING AND PAINTING. IN 1919 HE CAME TO CANADA, AND SETTLED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1947. A PARTNER IN THE FIRM OF RIETHMAN AND HUDSON DECORATING LTD., RIETHMAN WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB FOR MANY YEARS AND TAUGHT ART CLASSES THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN ALBERTA. HE PAINTED IN OILS AND WATERCOLOURS, AND ONE OF HIS WORKS WAS SELECTED FOR THE CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION IN TORONTO, LATER TRAVELLING TO MUNICH AND OTHER EUROPEAN VENUES. ERNEST RIETHMAN PASSED AWAY SUDDENLY ON DECEMBER 23, 1964. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR A HARDCOPY OF THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE. 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.” UPDATE: ON 24 OCTOBER 2019, ERNEST E. RIETHMAN’S GRANDDAUGHTER LINDA BAINES SHARED A “PERSONAL RECORD” WITH MUSEUM STAFF. THE LATTER DAY SAINT DOCUMENT WAS COMPLETED BY HER GRANDMOTHER CLARA S. RIETHMAN--ERNEST’S WIFE. IT IS A HANDWRITTEN CHRONOLOGY OF CLARA’S LIFE IN SWITZERLAND AND ALBERTA. PERSONAL INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT EXTENDS TO ERNEST’S LIFE . TO SEE THIS RECORD, PLEASE SEE P19705197000’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19705197000

Acquisition Date

1970-02

Collection

Museum

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