| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
|
The Vancouver Art Association was founded in 1889, and
promptly mounted a loan exhibition. The following year they put on
a significantly larger exhibition in the Lefevre Block
on Hastings Street. There were an amazing 338 artworks listed in
the exhibition catalogue. The catalogue was professionally printed and extensive in
scope. It listed all of the paintings in the show, and their owners, had pages of
programmes for a wide range of festivities connected to the art show, and had
numerous advertisements. Two of these advertisements were for art and framing stores: Theo. R. Hardiman's Pioneer Art Gallery, and Bailey & Neelands Art & Stationery Store. Later in the 1890s the The Art Emporium opened. As art and framing shops still do today, the early stores also hosted exhibitions. The local framing shops are almost inextricably connected to the art of early Vancouver - many hundreds or thousands of paintings remain encapsulated in their early framing jobs. In many cases the shops had stickers that were applied to the back of the completed frame. These provide history and meaning to the artwork in the frame, along with any exhibition labels, job numbers, scribbled measurements, and notations by different owners of the artwork. The labels can also help date the artwork. Editor's note: the galleries are listed alphabetically. The list is not intended to be complete and comprehensive, but is simply information that the Editor has compiled. |
Alderson's originally took over from the Richmond Arts (see below) at 919 Robson Street in approximately 1955. By 1968 they had relocated to Park Royal shopping centre in West Vancouver. Refer also to Greater Vancouver Art Galleries. Images courtesy private collections.
Refer also to Greater Vancouver Art Galleries. This label is on a framed photolithographic print by J. Anderson dating from around 1979. Finn Slough was a very interesting place when I was in high school. A little foot bridge linked the dyke road to the island, and a footpath led to what were essentially squatter's shacks, hanging over the edge of the island above the slough. I was there one night for a party, it was during a storm, you could hear water sloshing under the floorboards. We stayed all night playing guitars by candlelight, or snoozing on pillows.
The Art Den is listed in the 1925 City Directory as an art dealer at 2410 Granville Street, proprietor J.H. Johnston. The 1927 City Directory notes their business as "pictures."
The Art Emporium is claimed to have opened in 1897. A store of that name continued to operate in Vancouver until 2023, when its owner Torben Christiansen passed away. The 1905 City Directory lists Alfred Shipley as a picture framer at 901 West Georgia Street. In 1916 and 1917 J.Y. Miller (see below) was listed as Proprietor of the Art Emporium, while living at 1161 Granville Street. He remained as Proprietor until 1926 when Harry Hood took over the store and operated it until 1948. In 1929 the store moved to 1103 Robson Street, where it remained until at least 1955. In 1949 Frederick J. Michell took over as Proprietor, running it until at least 1955.
Bailey & Neelands advertised in the 1890 exhibition catalogue for the
1st Annual Exhibition of the Vancouver
Art Association. The advertisement provided the following information:
BAILEY & NEELANDS ART & STATIONERY STORE
For Picture framing, Mouldings, Engravings, Books and Stationery
Views of Vancouver, Oil Paintings of Local Scenery
N.B. - We carry the finest assortment of Mouldings in B.C.
and give special attention to framing and mounting pictures.
176 Cordova Street, near Cambie Street, Vancouver, B.C.
The Bau-Xi Gallery was founded at 555 Hamilton Street in Vancouver in 1964 by artist Bau-Xi Huang, also known as Paul Wong.
The Hamilton Street address is crossed-out on the 1969 framing label below:
Per the City Directory, BC Figure Works was active in 1954, at 2149 Commercial Drive, Mrs. Irene E. Knezevich, proprietor. They made and sold wall plaques. See also Continental Arts.
Bell's Art Store was listed in the City Directories in 1918-19, from 1921 to 1923, and in 1926.
J.C. Bishop advertised in the exhibition catalogue
of the First Annual Exhibition of the B.C. Society of Fine
Arts in 1909:
J.C. Bishop - Dealer in Works of Art
A full line of artists' materials, modelling clay, Hasbutt's Plasticine, Lay Figures, etc.
A large stock of Engravings, Etchings, Carbons, Nature Prints, Water Colors, Oils, etc.
We Frame Pictures Correctly and in a Perfect Manner.
J.C. Bishop 421 Granville Street.
By 1919 the store was known as Bishop & Christie, "The Kodak House."
Camera and Arts advertised in the The Paint Box in at least two different
issues, with two different names (see also Eastman Kodak Stores Ltd.) Under
the name of Camera and Arts they advertised the following:
Artists' Colors, Brushes, Canvas, Whatman Papers, Pastels
Picture Framing
610 Granville Street, Vancouver. Phone Sey. 4845
The 1920 Henderson's City Directory notes R.P. Dunne as the proprietor, they were selling photo supplies. The 1925 Directory notes "Ralph P. Dunne, Manager, Kodaks, Printing & Developing, Picture Framing, Artists' Materials." Not listed in Wrigley's 1930 BC Directory.
The company later advertised in the
art school's student annual The
Paint Box, June 1927, page sixty. The store was at 550
Seymour Street by then, and the advertisement stated
Water Colors - Brushes - Pencils - Drawing Boards
Saucers - Charcoal - Crayons - Drawing Pads and Blocks
The Clarke & Stuart Co. Limited
Stationers, Printers, Artist Supplies
550 Seymour Street - - - - Vancouver B.C.
They advertised again in the 1930 issue of The Paint Box, at the same address.
This label is loose, and is not dated. Per the City Directory, Continental Arts opened for business in 1955 at 6460 Fraser Street, Mrs. Irene E. Knezevich, proprietor. They did picture framing and sold artist supplies. See also B.C. Figure Works.
Although this is a later framing label from the 1970s, it is interesting because the owner also is noted to have operated the Gallery of the Golden Key. This label is for a Ken Danby multi-colour serigraph dated 1970. Refer also to Greater Vancouver Art Galleries.
This gallery is noted as being active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, although exact dates are not known.
The EROS Gallery operated at 2233 Granville St. from around 1979 to 1982, dates are not confirmed.
A label on the back of a linocut print dated 1939 by Bessie Adelaide
Fry contained the following information:
The Frame Shop
H.E. Lawson
Telephone 1518
326-6th St. - New Westminster
The following label is from a later date, with the shop at a different address on Sixth Street.
Alex Fraser moved to Vancouver from London, England, where he was "formerly of Bond Street." He and his wife Olive moved to 5677 Granville Street c1944, and in 1945 were selling "pictures" at that address, according to BC Directories for 1943-45. By 1948 they had a gallery at 5669 Granville St., which they kept until 1985, when they moved the gallery to West 41 Ave. In the mid-1990s they sold the gallery to Linda Lando.
A label on the back of an early watercolour by Edith Fanny Kirk, presumably
framed in the 1940s or perhaps 1950s.
This gallery was at 942 Granville Street in 1944, operated by William Dorbil. He was noted that year for hosting a "salon de refuses" for artists whose work was not accepted to the annual B.C. Artists exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. See also "ARTIST REBELS OPEN OWN SHOW" for newspaper review.
The 1944 City Directory lists them as "Galloway-Dorbils Established 1896. W. Howett, Proprietor. Technical and General Books. 940-942 Granville. Phone MA 7914. (See Class. Advt., Booksellers)."
Theophilus Richard Hardiman arrived in Port Moody in 1886, two weeks before the first train arrived in Vancouver. He immediately opened Hardiman's Pioneer Art Gallery at 522 Cordova Street. For a while he also sold music from the store. By 1891 the store was located at 622-626 Cordova Street, one block west of the original location.
One of the first artists to show local artwork at the Pioneer Gallery was Tomhu Huron Roberts, who had arrived in Vancouver the year before.
Hardiman advertised in the 1890 exhibition catalogue for the 1st Annual Exhibition of the Vancouver Art Association. Hardiman also loaned a few paintings to the exhibition. The advertisement provided the following information:
|
Theo. R. Hardiman Pioneer Art Gallery, 522 Cordova Street Opposite C.P.R. Station Carving, Gilding and Picture Framing Ten thousand feet of moulding to select from
Representative for British Columbia of Art Union, of London. Patron Her Majesty
Queen Victoria
W.E. LOCKHART'S, R.S.A., GREAT JUBILEE PICTURE
The Times describing the scene in Westminster Abbey says: "A noble picture,
around and above wherever the eye turns, a resplendent ten thousand, destined it
may be to a record no less enduring in the world's annals than that of the army of Xenophon." |
Hardiman held his "First Annual Art Show and Sale" at the gallery in July 1892, according to an article in the Vancouver Daily World, July 14 1892.
In 1891 Edward Brothers Photographers had a studio in the Pioneer Gallery. Artists also took up studio space in the venue.
In 1891 and 1892 the Pioneer Gallery was at 622-626 Cordova, Hardiman was living at 626 Cordova. From 1894 to 1896 Hardiman was listed as an art dealer at 624 Cordova, residence 1414 Alberni. In 1897 Hardiman was listed as Manager, B.C. Miners and Prospectors' Exchange, Ltd., 612 Cordova, residence 1414 Alberni. In 1900 he was listed as Manager, B.C. Mining Exchange Ltd., Secretary Grand Forks of Bonanza, G.M. Co., 612 Cordova.
Hardiman died in Victoria on November 18 1928, at the age of 80. BC Vital Statistics has a listing for this, but no death certificate is posted.
R.J. Hughes had a photo studio in Trail from 1922 to 1931. From 1932 to 1935 he
operated The Hughes Studio in Vancouver at 2113 West 41st Avenue. His marketing
slogan was "Secure the shadow ere the substance fades." This framing
stamp is on the back of an early Maud Rees Sherman
watercolour, and reads:
Hughes Studio
High Class Portraits and Picture Framing
Expert Kodak Finishing
2113 West 41st Ave. Phone KErr. 2878
Vancouver, B.C.
The Kensington Arts store at 1056 Robson Street was operated by Percy James and his wife Myra. James was born in Ontario in 1875, and arrived in Vancouver in 1929 to open the store. The James also lived at that address. The store was in business there until 1950, at which time they were selling "pictures and china" according to the City Directory.
There is no Directory listing for Kensington Arts in 1951, but from 1952 to at least 1955 the store was at 4603 West 10th Avenue doing "pictures and framing." James died a widower in Vancouver in 1960. His death certificate noted that he had been an Art Dealer all of his life except for the final week, so he must have worked in this profession prior to arriving in BC.
James Leyland's gallery advertised in The Paint Box, June 1926, page thirty-eight, and again in the June 1928 issue on page seventy-two. His gallery was at 609 Dunsmuir Street, and his advertisement claimed that it was "always worth a visit", that "Exhibitions are held from time to time", and that "We Frame Pictures As They Should Be Framed". He was also an artist.
He also advertised in the 1930 issue of The Paint Box, at the same address, with the saying "Let's See What LEYLAND Has in His Window!".
Joseph Y. Miller started to advertise himself as a Vancouver picture framer in 1913, according to BC directories. In 1913 he lived at the same address as his framing store at 1175 East 14th Avenue, Vancouver, but in 1914 he moved his residence to 1457 East 13th Ave. In 1915 he was back living at 1175 East 14th. In 1916 and 1917 he was listed as Proprietor of the Art Emporium (see above), while living at 1161 Granville Street. From 1917 to 1925 he again had his own business, listed as J.Y. Miller, "pictures, etc." He lived at 901 West Georgia Street from 1923 to 1925. After that neither he nor his business are listed in the directories. See also Art Emporium label.
The Photo-Arts Limited advertised in The Call of the Coast, 1928. BC directories list the business at 573 Hornby Street, Vancouver, in 1932.
The Richmond Arts Limited opened in 1917 at 923 Robson Street in Vancouver, where they remained until 1927. From 1928 to 1932 the store was at 787 Hornby Street, and from 1934 until at least 1955 they were at 919 Robson Street.
Richmond Arts advertised again in the June 1928 issue of The Paint Box, but this time the advertisement did not list Holliday or Manning. The same list of art supplies was given, but framed mirrors were additionally offered.
Richmond Arts advertised again in the 1930 issue of The Paint Box, their address now listed as 787 Hornby Street (at Robson), Phone. Sey.(mour) 2939. They now listed "etchings, mezzo tints, pictures, picture framing, artists' materials, china paints".
A 1933 prospectus-style flyer for the B.C. College of Arts noted that "enquiries to be mailed to F.H. Varley Studio c/o Richmond Arts, Hornby Street."
A Richmond Arts framing label on the back of an undated linocut print by Bessie Adelaide Fry dating from around 1951 had the additional name of Alderson Galleries Ltd., address 868 Park Royal, telephone number WEST 2233 on it. Richmond Arts was then at 919 Robson Street, telephone number MU 5425. The label advertised "Pictures", "Art Supplies", and "Picture Framing Specialists". Another variation on the label is shown below, where the West Vancouver gallery is not listed.
David Spencer built a large "department" store on Hastings Street in Vancouver, at one point expanding to occupy almost the entire city block where S.F.U. Harbourside is now situated.
Bertram's employment was variously listed in the directories as news stand clerk, news stand manager, second-hand goods dealer, antiques dealer, cabinetmaker, proprietor of Dunbar Carpet Cleaning, and finally retired as a furniture upholsterer in 1955. Hersey also moved his home a number of times, living at 1314 West 7th, 1942 West 8th, 1058 Pacific, 3563 Heather, 4294 Dunbar (all in Vancouver), and finally 6921 Jubilee Avenue in Burnaby after his retirement.
The current Vancouver Art Gallery opened in 1931 at 1145 West Georgia Street, and expanded in 1951 to 1155 West Georgia Street. Their first major exhibition was the 1932 All-Canadian Exhibition, followed by their first annual B.C. Artists' exhibition.
Woodward's was an early B.C. department store that later sold out to Eaton's.
