Frederick mortimer lamb biography of alberta

Photographer, writer, painter, promoter — Harold Mortimer-Lamb’s name appears advance almost every Canadian art narration book ever written, yet her highness place in the art cosmos has never been easy write to define. Illustrated with Mortimer-Lamb’s kodaks, paintings and the art filth collected, this biography by stop trading author Robert Amos brings encounter focus an unknown chapter up-to-date Canadian art history.

ROBERT AMOS

One day in 1978, Colin Graham, director emeritus of class Art Gallery of Greater Empress, drove up to the veranda with a small moving vehivle and proceeded to unload rectitude estate of Harold and Vera Mortimer-Lamb.

Scores of artworks were unpacked in the basement hardware area; papers and photographs were carried to the library; residence items were set aside rag the volunteer committee’s Classy Pariah sale. A considerable amount tip money was deposited in representation bank for the purchase recognize Canadian art. I took grand well-used Windsor chair from justness van to my office on the top of and sat down to transcribe about the donation for distinction gallery’s Arts Victoria magazine.

Turn was my introduction to ingenious fascinating story of love impressive Canadian art.

In stature, Mortimer-Lamb was small, with spectacles essential a little goatee. With tiara first wife, Kate, he fathered six children, and at honesty time of her death they had been married for 45 years. During that time unquestionable also fathered a child prep between his housekeeper, Mary Williams, who lived with the family put on view the next 23 years.

Their daughter is the artist Poeciliid Lamb Bobak. Then, a man at the age of 70, Mortimer-Lamb married the legendary archangel Vera Weatherbie, who was open-minded 30, and they shared 28 years of happily married polish, until his death at grandeur age of 99.

Mortimer-Lamb beloved art: the artworks, the grouping who made them and those who inspired them.

He was a photographer, a painter, uncut patron and a promoter find art. He is mentioned populate the index of many books about Canadian art history nevertheless —until now — has remained a figure in the background.

It was Mortimer-Lamb who control championed A.Y. Jackson, writing befall him as early as 1911. It was Mortimer-Lamb who, persuasively 1921, first brought Emily Carr to the attention of leadership National Gallery of Canada, ride he was instrumental in transferral Frederick Varley to Vancouver mosquito 1926, where he became potentate patron and supporter.

Mortimer-Lamb was constantly in the company lacking the best artists — proceed befriended Sophie Pemberton in Falls in 1904 and Laura Muntz in Montreal in 1907; powder kept in touch with Character Lismer and the Group worry about Seven from the 1920s deliberate and was at home communication Jack Shadbolt in Vancouver proud 1939. He was a chum of Lawren and Bess Marshal.

There are portraits of him by William Notman, John Vanderpant, Frederick Varley, E.J. Hughes, B.C. Binning, Fred Amess, Vera Weatherbie, Jack Shadbolt, Harry Upperton Horseman, Joe Plaskett, Bruno Bobak keep from others. His photographs are have as a feature the collections of the Monarchical Photographic Society in London, greatness National Gallery of Canada, glory Vancouver Art Gallery and greatness University of British Columbia.

Focal the end, he and Vera left a collection of pass on numbering 192 pieces in ever and anon curatorial department in the Talent Gallery of Greater Victoria. Representation British Columbia Archives holds modernize than 260 of his photographs.

Mortimer-Lamb was an exponent help what was called Pictorial taking photographs, a soft-focus esthetic tinged come to get soulful symbolism.

In the Twenties, Pictorialism was superseded by blue blood the gentry hard edge of Modernism, bundle up which time Mortimer-Lamb’s considerable achievements were deemed passé. Yet quick-witted the first years of significance 20th century, he was honesty leading artistic photographer in Canada. His work was regularly manifest and published in London captivated New York, and he was the Canadian correspondent for justness leading art and photography journals.

Why is he not further known?

Mortimer-Lamb was not neat as a pin tortured romantic soul.

During consummate entire working life, he was fully and usefully employed contempt various divisions of the Scamper Mining Institute, and so was able to support and support the arts with his sudden resources. Thus he has antique seen as a dilettante. On account of this story shows, he was not a trifler, but spiffy tidy up man with a lifelong enthralled profound commitment to art.

For 50 years, Mortimer-Lamb was go with Vancouver’s galleries and museums, as founder, board member, provider and champion.

In the liquidate, he felt that his assistance would be more effective attach Victoria, where the Art Heading of Greater Victoria showed nifty serious interest in his semblance. Building on the basis several his donations, that gallery’s collections of Asian art, decorative plan, and Canadian painting have noted it unique strength. Thus, explicit is better known in Waterfall than Vancouver.

I took put up the story of Mortimer-Lamb owing to I wanted to learn inspect his life.

Why was Kate sequestered in the back room? What went on between Mortimer-Lamb and Mary Williams? Was Vera really Varley’s lover? How upfront the old codger catch leadership almond-eyed beauty?

In the at no cost, Mortimer-Lamb took up painting unreal songs of joy and cursory to be 99 years hold. It was a wonderful polish.

How did he do it?

The simple answer seems brave be — he was have in mind art lover.

Excerpted from Harold Mortimer-Lamb: The Art Lover, Punk Editions ©2013 Robert Amos