Thomas Philip Oxenham Menzies
January 30 1874 - December 8 1960
Menzies was born in England, and came to Canada c1912, and arrived in
Vancouver c1923.
He was appointed to the position of Secretary-Curator of the Vancouver
Museum in 1924, taking over the position from Will
Ferris. He retired as Curator of the Vancouver Museum in 1938. Although he does not
appear to have been an exhibiting artist, he did pen & ink drawings
as illustrations for the Association's Museum & Art Notes periodical and
for his personal seasonal greeting cards.
The Wakius Totem Pole, 1939
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
References
THE FINE ARTS IN VANCOUVER, 1886 - 1930 (refer to THOM69)
B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS)
Clippings
"Mr. Menzies is a man of varied experiences in many countries, including
India, Australia, and South Africa. He was a sailor in his early years and
a soldier in the last war. It was typical of him that, when he first
presented himself before the A. H. & S. A. as an applicant for the post,
he informed the committee that he had no particular qualifications for the
job except that he was an enthusiastic entomologist. Perhaps it was because
of his original way of describing his lack of qualifications that he was
appointed from among many other applicants. He has a keen sense of humour
peculiarly his own (upon one occasion he brought back with him from the
Cariboo a foot-long specimen of the boa constrictor, which he exhibited alive
in a glass case in the museum) and his keen interest in the Indians and
their lore prompts him annually to send his Christmas wishes to his friends
upon cards which he illustrates with pen-and-ink sketches of a totem pole,
a thunder-bird or some other relic associated with the Indians. For a good
many years now he has been ably assisted in the work of the Museum by
Mrs. Ruth Corbett and Mr. H.L. Nelson."
From "Springboard for the Future"
Vancouver City Museum Golden Jubilee 1894 - 1944" (pamphlet), pages 18-19
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