Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

FORT MACLEOD TRAIN 1897-1909

Date

1967

Materials

WOOD, PAINTED CANVAS

No. Pieces

1

Length

66.0

Width

32.1

Description

FRAMED OIL PAINTING OF A STEAM ENGINE & CARS. SIGNED, "HELEN SHEPHERD" BR.TITLED "FORT MACLEOD TRAIN 1897-1909" REVERSE LABEL OF LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, "CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION, 1967" MOUNTED IN GREY PAINTED FRAME.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

LOCAL ARTIST, MEMBER OF LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. SHE FOUND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCENE DEPICTED IN THE PAINTING IN ITS PERMANENT FILE (NO AUTHOR LISTED): "SHOWN IN THE BACKGROUND IS A TRAIN ON A PORTION OF THE OLD CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LINE IN SERVICE BETWEEN LETHBRIDGE AND FORT MACLEOD FROM 1897 TO 1909. IT IS KNOWN THAT IT TOOK FOURTEEN WOODEN TRESTLES OR BRIDGES TO SPAN THE DEEP COULEES AND RIVERS ON THE ROUTE. ONE BRIDGE NEAR LETHBRIDGE WAS ALMOST A MILE IN LENGTH. UPKEEP COSTS WERE HIGH AND ACCIDENTS FREQUENT AND IT WAS ABANDONDED AFTER THE HI-LEVEL BRIDGE WAS COMPLETED AT LETHBRIDGE. THE FIRST TRAIN OVER THE NEW BRIDGE WAS ON OCTOBER 17, 1909 WITH ENGINEER JAMES WALLWORK AT THE CONTROLS. THIS VIEW ALSO SHOWS WHERE THE ST. MARY'S RIVER (FROM UPPER RIGHT) AND THE BELLY RIVER (LOWER RIGHT) JOIN TO FORM THE PRESENT OLDMAN RIVER. NICHOLAS SHERAN DISCOVERED COAL IN THIS AREA IN 1872, AND AN OLD MINE SCAR CAN BE SEEN AT THE PRESENT TIME." 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 P19695003000 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

P19800082000

Acquisition Date

1979-07

Collection

Museum

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