Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

NICHOLAS SHERAN HOME AND MINE 1887-1892

Date

1967

Materials

OIL, PAPER, WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Length

120.6

Width

54.2

Description

FRAMED OIL PAINTING. SIGNED "H. E. SHEPERD" IN LOWER RIGHT. DEPICTS COULEE & RIVER SCENE WITH LOG CABIN & COVERED WAGONS. TITLED ON REVERSE OF PAINTING. BACKING PAPER IS CURLING AND FALLING OFF.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

"COAL BANKS 1882-1886 CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION 1967 MRS. HELEN SHEPHERD THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION 1967. ARTIST MRS. HELEN SHEPHERD, 17 DEVON COURT, LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. TITLE OF WORK- "NICHOLAS SHERAN HOME AND MINE 1887-1892". THE FIRST COAL AT LETHBRIDGE WAS DISCOVERED AND MINED BY NICHOLAS SHERAN IN 1872, TEN YEARS, BEFORE THE NORTH WESTERN COAL & NAVIGATION CO., OPENED EXTENSIVE OPERATIONS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIVER. THOUGH RECORDS SEEM NON-EXISTANT QUITE A LARGE VOLUME OF COAL WAS MINED HERE AND TRANSPORTED NEAR AND FAR. IT WAS TAKEN UP A STEEP HILL ON THE ROAD SHOWN TO FORT MACLEOD, OVER THE ROAD LEADING FROM THE PICTURE TO THE LEFT. WHEN RIVER CONDITIONS PERMITTED LOADS WERE TAKEN ACROSS AT THE FORD SHOWN IN THE FOREGROUND AND IN WINTER ON THE ICE, A FERRY, INDICATED AT LOWER LEFT, WAS IN USE FOR MANY YEARS. "NICK" SHERAN'S FEDERAL MINE INDICATED LEFT ON CENTER. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST, HELEN ELIZABETH SHEPHERD, WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM HER LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY. HELEN WAS BORN IN 1899 IN KANSAS, USA, AND MOVED TO SOUTHWESTERN SASKATCHEWAN WHERE SHE MET AND MARRIED HER HUSBAND, THOMAS SHEPHERD. THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE WITH THEIR DAUGHTER AND THREE SONS IN 1950, AND HELEN WORKED FOR A VARIETY OF LOCAL BUSINESSES AS A BOOKKEEPER. SHE ENJOYED PAINTING AS A HOBBY AND WAS INVOLVED WITH THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB. HELEN SHEPHERD PASSED AWAY ON JUNE 1, 1986. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPY OF HER OBITUARY. 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

P19695003000

Acquisition Date

1969-12

Collection

Museum

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