The origins of this project lie with the Canadian Centre for the Visual Arts, at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), which gave me the funding, time, and facilities to read through the gallery’s collection of Homer Watson’s correspondence and to think seriously about his art. I will always be grateful for that opportunity. While I was in residence the late Murray Waddington (Chief, Library and Archives) added to the gallery’s already voluminous holdings of Watson papers. I regret that he did not live to see this book’s publication. Cyndie Campbell, the extraordinary head of the NGC Archives, was equally supportive.
I’m indebted to the private collectors who shared their artworks with me, and to the museum employees who responded patiently to my questions. Above all, Faith Hieblinger at the Homer Watson House & Gallery was unstintingly generous. Thanks also to Sandu Sindile; Tobi Bruce and Christine Braun (Art Gallery of Hamilton); Georgiana Uhlyarik and Donna Austria (Art Gallery of Ontario); Nicole McCabe and Jaclyn Meloche (Art Gallery of Windsor); Meredith Briden (Beaverbrook Art Gallery); Tracy Loch (Castle Kilbride); Jennifer Bullock (Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery); Jacques Des Rochers, Marie-Claude Saia, Justine Lebeau, and Anna Ciocola (Montreal Museum of Fine Arts); and Elaire Maund (Vancouver Art Gallery). Back at the NGC, John Collins, Sonia Del Re, and Jacqueline Warren gave me liberal access to the gallery’s many Watson sketchbooks, while Susan Walker of the painting conservation lab helped me understand the physical aspects of his oils.
At the Art Canada Institute, Kendra Ward, Amanda Lewis, and Joy Xiang personified the principle of respectful collaboration. And, as ever, this book has benefited immeasurably from the advice, raised eyebrows, and outright criticisms of Charles C. Hill, the volume and detail of whose knowledge of Canadian art never fail to amaze.
From the Art Canada Institute
The Art Canada Institute gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the anonymous Title Sponsor of this book.
The Art Canada Institute gratefully acknowledges the other sponsors of the 2018–2019 Canadian Online Art Book Project: Alexandra Bennett in memory of Jalynn Bennett, Consignor Canadian Fine Art, Kiki and Ian Delaney, Maxine Granovsky Gluskin and Ira Gluskin, Gershon Iskowitz Foundation, The Sabourin Family Foundation, Karen Schreiber and Marnie Schreiber, and Sandra L. Simpson.
We also sincerely thank the Founding Sponsor for the Art Canada Institute: BMO Financial Group; and the Art Canada Institute Patrons: Butterfield Family Foundation,* David and Vivian Campbell,* Connor, Clark & Lunn Foundation, Albert E. Cummings,* the Fleck family,* Roger and Kevin Garland,* Glorious and Free Foundation,* Charlotte Gray and George Anderson, The Scott Griffin Foundation,* Jane Huh,* Lawson Hunter, Gershon Iskowitz Foundation,* Alan and Patricia Koval Foundation, Phil Lind,* Nancy McCain and Bill Morneau,* John O’Brian, Gerald Sheff and Shanitha Kachan,* Stephen Smart,* Nalini and Tim Stewart,* and Robin and David Young.*
We thank our Lead Benefactors: Alexandra Baillie, Alexandra Bennett and the Jalynn Bennett Family Foundation,* Grant and Alice Burton, Kiki and Ian Delaney,* Jon S. and Lyne Dellandrea,* Michelle Koerner and Kevin Doyle,* Sarah and Tom Milroy,* Partners in Art,* Sandra L. Simpson,* Pam and Michael Stein,* and Sara and Michael Angel.*
*Indicates a Founding Patron of the Art Canada Institute
The ACI gives special thanks to the Homer Watson House & Gallery, and the work of Faith Hieblinger and Nichole Martin, who provided a tremendous amount of contextual and artistic resources for this title. The ACI is grateful to the gallery’s mindful keeping of the artist’s former home and studio, which crucially maintains Homer Watson’s legacy for those of the present.
This online art book was also made possible by the support and assistance of Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Jennifer Nicoll); Albany Institute of History and Art (Allison Munsell Napierski); Art Gallery of Hamilton (Christine Braun); Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Shannon Parker); Art Gallery of Ontario (Eva Athanasiu, Tracy Mallon-Jensen); Art Gallery of Windsor (Nicole McCabe); Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Celine Gorham, John Leroux); Canadian War Museum (Susan Ross); Castle Kilbride (Tracy Loch); Estate of Lawren Harris; the Hamilton Club (Amanda Nesbitt); Indianapolis Museum of Art; Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery; Library and Archives Canada (Brechin Group); MacKenzie Art Gallery (Marie Olinik); McCord Museum; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Marie-Claude Saia); Museé du Louvre; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Peter Huestis); National Gallery of Canada (Emily Antler, Philip Dombowsky); National Gallery, London; National Portrait Gallery, London; Power Corporation of Canada (Paul Marechal); Queen’s University Archives (Jeremy Heil); Royal Collection Trust (Agata Rutkowska); Six Nations Public Library (Feather Maracle); Tate; Toronto Reference Library; Vancouver Art Gallery (Danielle Currie); Walters Art Museum (Ruth Bowler); Winnipeg Art Gallery (Nicole Fletcher); the York Club (Cyril Duport); and Ronald and Shirley Levene, Greg McKee, Robert McNair, and Frank Tancredi.
The ACI recognizes the private collectors who have given permission for their work to be published in this edition.
IMAGE SOURCES
Every effort has been made to secure permissions for all copyrighted material. The Art Canada Institute will gladly correct any errors or omissions.
Credit for Banner Images
Biography: Homer Watson, c.1913, photograph by Edmond Dyonnet. (See below for details.)
Key Works: The Pioneer Mill, 1880. (See below for details.)
Significance & Critical Issues: Before the Storm, 1887. (See below for details.)
Style & Technique: River Landscape, 1882. (See below for details.)
Sources & Resources: Drawing for A Land of Thrift, c.1883. (See below for details.)
Where to See: Installation view of Bringing Heritage Home at the Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener, 2012. (See below for details.)
Credits for Works by Homer Watson
After the Rain, 1883. Collection of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, gift of Lord Beaverbrook, 1959 (1959.277). Photo credit: Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
Before the Storm, 1887. Collection of the Art Gallery of Windsor, memorial bequest of Mr. and Mrs. G. Hudson Strickland, 1982, 1990 (1982.029). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Windsor.
Below the Mill, 1901. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, purchased 1903 (1903.204). Photo credit: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Cattle Fording River in Moonlight, 1898. Private collection. Photo credit: Robert McNair.
The Castellated Cliff, 1879. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1980 (23664). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
A Cornfield, 1883. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1952 (5899). Courtesy of Brian Foss.
Country Road, Stormy Day, c.1895. Private collection. Photo credit and courtesy of Frank Tancredi.
A Coming Storm in the Adirondacks, 1879. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of George Hague, 1887 (1887.203). Photo credit: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The Death of Elaine, 1877. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift of Mrs. Mary King, Toledo, Ohio, 1937 (2434). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Ontario.
Down in the Laurentides, 1882. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, donated by the artist as a Royal Canadian Academy of Arts diploma work, Doon, 1882 (122). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Drawing for A Land of Thrift, c.1883. Collection of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, gift of Paul and Stella Murphy, 1983. Courtesy of Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.
Early Winter, c.1930. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, gift of Mrs. S.J. Williams, Mrs. Harvey Sims, Mrs. T.M. Cram, and Miss Geneva Jackson, Kitchener, 1943. Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Emerald Lake, Banff, c.1925. Collection of the Homer Watson House and Gallery, Kitchener. Photo credit: Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Evening Moonrise, 1933. Collection of Library and Archives Canada, on loan to Laurier House, Ottawa (C-151410). Courtesy of Brechin Group.
Grand River Landscape at Doon, c.1881. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, purchased 1950 (1950.1). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
Grand River Valley, c.1880. Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener. Photo credit: Homer Watson House & Gallery.
A Grey Day at the Ford, 1885. Collection of the Hamilton Club. Photo credit: Daniel Banko. Courtesy of the Hamilton Club.
Haymaking, Last Load, c.1880. Collection of the Art Gallery of Hamilton, gift of the North American Life Assurance Co., 1963. Photo credit: Art Gallery of Hamilton.
High Water, Pine Bend, c.1935. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, gift of Earl Putnam, 1980. Photo credit: Robert McNair. Courtesy of Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.
A Hillside Gorge, 1889. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, gift of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, 1890 (5). Courtesy of Brian Foss.
The Flood Gate, c.1900–1. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1925 (3343). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
In Valley Flats near Doon, c.1910. Collection of the Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener. Photo credit: Homer Watson House & Gallery.
“A Landscape Painter’s Day,” first page from a prose manuscript, n.d., Queen’s University Archives, Kingston, purchased through Chancellor Richardson Memorial Fund (2033). Photo credit and courtesy of Jeremy Heil.
Landscape, 1889. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1981 (23984). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Landscape drawings and a preliminary outline of a building from Sketchbook F, early 1880s. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (7875.92r). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Landscape, Scotland, 1888. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1957 from Harold M. Gully, Toronto (6678). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Landscape with Road, c.1889. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1962 (7903). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
The Last of the Drouth (The Last Day of the Drought), 1881. Royal Collection Trust, Windsor, acquired by Queen Victoria (RCIN 400547). Photo credit: Royal Collection Trust.
Life and Thought Hath Fled Away, c.1865–69. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (7875.96). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
The Load of Grass, 1898. Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Founders’ Fund (33.26). Photo credit: Vancouver Art Gallery.
Log-cutting in the Woods, 1894. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Lord Strathcona and family, 1927. Photo credit: Brian Merrett.
Moonlight, Waning Winter, 1924. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1927 (3514). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Moonlit Stream, 1933. Library and Archives Canada on loan to Laurier House, Ottawa (C-151411). Courtesy of Brechin Group.
Morning at Lakeview, Ontario, 1890. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift of the McLean Foundation, 1960 (59/6). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Ontario.
Near the Close of a Stormy Day, 1884. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, gift of Lieutenant Colonel H.F. Osler (G-47-164a). Photo credit: Ernest Mayer. Courtesy of the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Near Twilight, B.C., c.1934. Art Gallery of Windsor, gift of the Willistead Art Gallery of Windsor Women’s Committee, 1962 (1962.030). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Windsor.
November among the Oaks, c.1920. Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, gift of Dr. Rodrigo Restrepo (2007.21.3). Photo credit: Henry Robideau. Courtesy of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Nut Gatherers in the Forest, 1900. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1909 (90). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
The Old Mill, 1886. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift from the Fund of the T. Eaton Co. Ltd. for Canadian Works of Art, 1948 (48/10). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Ontario.
The Old Mill and Stream, 1879. Collection of Castle Kilbride, Baden. Photo credit: Robert McNair. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
On the River at Doon, 1885. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (5900). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
On the Mohawk River, 1878. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift of Colonel D.H.C. Mason, Toronto, 1949 (48/34). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Ontario.
Passage to the Unknown, 1918–20. Location unknown. Courtesy of RACAR 14:2 (1987) and Ellen Donald.
Pioneers Crossing the River, 1896. Private collection. Courtesy Brian Foss.
The Pioneer Mill, 1880. Royal Collection, Windsor, acquired by Queen Victoria as a gift from the Marquis of Lorne (RCIN 400548). Photo credit: Royal Collection Trust.
The Pioneer Mill, 1890. Private collection. Photo credit: Robert McNair.
Quilp and Sampson Brass in the Old Curiosity Shop, late 1860s to early 1870s. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1962 (Sketchbook 7875.63). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
The Ranges (Camp at Sunrise), 1915. Canadian War Museum, Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, Ottawa (19710261-0810). Photo credit: Canadian War Museum.
The River Drivers, 1914, 1925. MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, gift of Mr. Norman MacKenzie (1914-003). Photo credit: Don Hall. Courtesy of the MacKenzie Art Gallery.
River Landscape, 1882. Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, gift of Susan and Rick Diamond (2007.5.2). Photo credit: Trevor Mills. Courtesy of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Roxanna Bechtel Watson from Sketchbook C, c.1880s. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1962 (7875.90). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Sheep and Shepherd, c.1900. Private collection. Photo credit: Robert McNair.
Smugglers’ Cove, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, 1909. Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, gift of Lord Beaverbrook, 1959 (1959.275). Photo credit: Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
Speed River Flats near Preston, c.1930. Collection of Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener. Photo credit: Homer Watson House & Gallery.
The Stone Road, 1881. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1960 (7797). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Storm Drift, 1934. Collection of Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, gift of Earl Putnam 1980. Photo credit: Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.
Studio frieze, 1893–94. Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Study for The River Drivers, c.1913. Collection of the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, gift of Norman Mackenzie (1936-19). Photo credit: Don Hall. Courtesy of the MacKenzie Art Gallery.
Summer Storm, c.1890. Collection of the Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener. Photo credit: Robert McNair. Courtesy of the Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Sunlit Village, 1884. Private collection. Photo credit: Robert McNair.
Susquehanna Valley, c.1877. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, purchased 1983 (83/13). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Ontario.
The Swollen Creek, c.1870. Collection of the Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener. Photo credit: Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Two Cows in a Stream, c.1885. Collection of the Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener. Photo credit: Homer Watson House & Gallery.
The Valley of the Ridge, 1922. Collection of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, gift of Earl Putnam, 1980. Photo credit: Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.
Woods in June, c.1910. Collection of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, gift of William H. Kaufman, Helen M. Sandwell, and S. Jean Koetsier in memory of Alvin R. and Jean H. Kaufman, 1978. Photo credit: Robert McNair. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Credits for Photographs and Works by Other Artists
An Adirondack Pastorale, 1869, by George Inness. Albany Institute of History and Art, gift of the estate of Marjorie Doyle Rockwell (1995.30.2). Courtesy of Albany Institute of History and Art.
A page from The Aldine Vol. 6, No. 5, May 1873. Photo credit: Joy Xiang.
Baie-Saint-Paul, c.1927, by Randolph Hewton. Collection of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, bequest of Douglas S. Wilson, 1993 (36-009). Photo credit: Paul Litherland. Courtesy of Agnes Etherington Art Centre.
The Canadian Art section at the British Empire Exhibition, Wembley Park, London, England, 1924. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada.
Canadian section at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, London, 1886. Courtesy of The Illustrated London News (May 1886).
The Cowherd, c.1879, by Anton Mauve. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, bequest of William John and Agnes Learmont. Photo credit: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The Dead Steer’d by the Dumb, by Gustave Doré, published in Alfred Tennyson, Elaine, London: Moxon, 1867. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Photo credit: Joy Xiang. Courtesy of the Toronto Reference Library.
The 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion training at Valcartier, Quebec, 1914. Canadian War Museum, George Metcalf Archival Collection, Ottawa (19740416-003). Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Canadian War Museum.
The Hay Wain, 1821, by John Constable. Collection of the National Gallery, London, gift of Henry Vaughan, 1886 (NG1207).
Homer Watson, c.1913, photograph by Edmond Dyonnet. Edmond Dyonnet Collection, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Courtesy of National Gallery of Canada.
Homer Watson in the new gallery addition to his home, Doon, 1906. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Homer Watson picnicking in Cressman’s Woods (now Homer Watson Park), 1934. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Homer Watson reclining outdoors, c.1880. Photographer unknown. Collection of Queen’s University Archives, Kingston (Homer Watson Fonds, 2033-2-10). Courtesy of Queen’s University Archives.
Homer Watson’s birthplace, 1866. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Homer Watson with Rex the dog in Cressman’s Woods, 1925. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Homer Watson with spirits of the dead (faked photograph), 1930. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Queen’s University Archives.
Installation view of Bringing Heritage Home at the Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener, 2012. Photo credit: Robert McNair. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Installation view of Bringing Heritage Home at the Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener, 2012. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery. Photo credit: Robert McNair.
Installation view of Homer Watson, R.C.A., 1855–1936: Paintings and Drawings / Peintures et dessins at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1963. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of National Gallery of Canada.
The Jack Pine, 1916–17, by Tom Thomson. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, purchased 1918 (1519). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Lake, North of Lake Superior, 1870, by Frederick Verner. Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Isabella C. McLennan, 1935 (1935.652). Photo credit: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The Lock and Dedham Vale, 1834, by David Lucas (after John Constable). Private collection.
Logging, 1888, by George Reid. Collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, transfer from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, 2011, gift of the Brigadier General W.F. Sweny, C.M.G., DSO, in memory of his father, Colonel George A. Sweny, 1938 (45392). Photo credit: National Gallery of Canada.
Members of the Canadian Art Club, c.1907–13. Collection of Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift of Lachlan MacTavish, 1971, 1976 (Newton MacTavish Fonds, LA.SC018.S8.41). Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Mist Fantasy, Northland, 1922, by J.E.H. MacDonald. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, gift of Mrs. S.J. Williams, Toronto, in memory of F. Elinor Williams, 1927 (899). Photo credit: Art Gallery of Ontario.
Mount Rundle, Canadian National Park, Banff, 1892, by Alexander Henderson. Notman Photographic Archives at McCord Museum, Montreal (MP 118/78). Courtesy of McCord Museum.
The Oak in the Valley, 1871, by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Collection of the National Gallery, London, gift of Mrs. Alice Bleecker, 1981 (NG6466).
Oscar Wilde, 1882, by Napoleon Sarony. Collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London, purchased 1976 (NPG P24). Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.
The Rainbow, c.1878–79, by George Inness. Collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Photo credit: Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Roxanna “Roxa” Watson with Mary Watson and Rex the dog, Doon, 1917. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Homer Watson House & Gallery.
Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Marquis of Lorne, 1879, by Notman & Sandham Studio, McCord Museum, Montreal (51-076-Misc.II). Courtesy of McCord Museum.
Six Nations Confederacy Council, Ohsweken, c.1910. Photographer unknown. Collection of the Six Nations Legacy Consortium, Ohseweken (SNPL000091v00i). Courtesy of Six Nations Public Library.
The Storm, 1872, by Narcisse Díaz de la Peña. Collection of Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (37.121). Photo credit: Walters Art Museum.
Tornado in an American Forest, 1831, by Thomas Cole. Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., museum purchase of the collection of the former Corcoran Gallery of Art (Corcoran Collection, 2014.136.117).
Winter Work, 1883–84, by George Clausen. Collection of the Tate, London, purchased with assistance from the Friends of the Tate Gallery, 1983 (T03666). Photo credit: Tate.
Art Canada Institute
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4 Devonshire Place
Toronto, ON M5S 2E1
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Foss, Brian, 1955-, author
Homer Watson : life & work / Brian Foss.
Includes bibliographical references.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-4871-0185-5 (hardcover).–ISBN 978-1-4871-0183-1
(PDF).–ISBN 978-1-4871-0184-8 (HTML)
1. Watson, Homer, 1855-1936. 2. Watson, Homer, 1855-1936–
Criticism and interpretation. 3. Painters–Canada–Biography.
4. Biographies. I. Art Canada Institute, issuing body II. Title.
ND249.W3F68 2018 759.11 C2018-905174-4
C2018-905175-2
Homer Ransford Watson (1855–1936) first portrayed Canadian landscape painting as specifically Canadian, rather than as a pastiche of European influences.
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