BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Hilda Joyce Pocock
(m J.H. Stewart, m Cecil Bell)

July 12 1892 - February 18 1978

Royal Miniature Society (Associate Member 1915, elected full member 1927)
Women's Art Association of Saskatchewan (Member 1932)
Federation of Canadian Artists (Founding Member 1941)


Hilda J. Stewart was born in London in 1892. Her parents were Lexden Lewis Pocock, and Alicia Shellshear, both of England. Her father (1850 - 1919) was a professional artist who studied at the Slade, the Royal Academy in London, and in Rome. Three of his children became professional artists, including Hilda.

Hilda was noted in the STUDIO magazine, London England, in issues 65 (1915) and 72 (1917).

Hilda married John Hutcheson Stewart and later Cecil Bell. By 1921 her addess was "Saskatchewan, Canada." In 1933 her address was at Luseland, Saskatchewan, per an exhibition listing with the Art Association of Montreal where she exhibited a "case of miniatures" valued at $600.00.

She was a Founding Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists in 1941, living at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

She had solo exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1946 and 1947. A list of works is on file at the VAG Library for the 1947 exhibition.

She moved to Vancouver in 1948, and exhibited work in the 1949 Stanley Park in Pictures exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

She exhibited work in the 1968 annual B.C. Artists show at the Vancouver Art Gallery, a painting #75 valued at $350.00.

She died in St. Vincent's Hospital, Vancouver in 1978. B.C. Vital Statistics On-line posted her death certificate, occupation noted as "Professional Artist - Arts." She was widowed from Cecil Bell, living at 1457 West 33rd Avenue.

I am indebted to Annette Fulford for sending me information about the artist in June 2026. While updating the artist's biography with the provided information I also wondered about Hilda's membership with the Royal Miniature Society, and found her listed in THE DICTIONARY OF BRITISH ARTISTS 1880 - 1940 (see link below) under her maiden name, as well as listings for her father, her brother Alfred Lyndhurst Pocock ("gem sculptor to the Russian Court jewellers"), and her sister Lilian Josephine ("stained glass artist, watercolour painter and illustrator"), all professional artists, with 470 exhibited works noted in the DICTIONARY ... !

POCOCK, Hilda Joyce b 1892
Mrs. John H. Stewart. Miniature painter,
craftworker and ecclesiastical designer.
Daughter of Lexden Lewis P. q.v. Studied
Regent Street, Polytechnic. R.M.S. 1916.
Exh. 1911-38. Add: London 1911; Saskat-
chewan, Canada 1921. (Exh) L 8, RA 12,
RMS 5.
Entry in THE DICTIONARY OF BRITISH ARTISTS 1880 - 1940
8 artworks exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, 12 at the Royal Academy and 5 at the Royal Miniature Society in London.


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
1934 Rocky Mountain Paintings Ebell Club Gallery, Lost Angeles
1940 Watercolours & Miniatures Convocation Hall, U. Sask., Saskatoon
1946 July 2 - 21 Solo show VAG
1947 July 1 - 20 Northern Lights VAG
1948 Miniatures & Paintings Saskatoon Art Centre, Saskatoon
1952 Solo show Masonic Hall, Vancouver
1990 Hilda Stewart R.M.S.: An Essay in Retrieving History Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1949 July 12 - July 31 VAG   Stanley Park in Pictures N. Entrance

References

THE DICTIONARY OF BRITISH ARTISTS 1880 - 1940 (refer to DBA76)

MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS - SPRING EXHIBITIONS 1880 - 1970 (refer to MM88)
      One exhibition reference for Stewart and bio. info.

BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF SASKATCHEWAN ARTISTS
      By Marketa Newman, 1990. Published by Fifth House Publishing, Saskatoon.
      ISBN 0-920079-66-0 (v.1) Hardcover, 310 pages. 10 colour images.
      Includes colour illustration of watercolour on ivory "Portrait of Molly Shellshear" by Stewart.
      (Shellshear was Stewart's mother's maiden name).
      Includes 3 full pages of biographical information on Stewart.

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
10 references listed for Stewart:
    BDSA - Biographical Dictionary of Saskatchewan Artists - Volume 1 Women Artists
    CLA - Canadian Library Association, Canadian Biographies Artists and Authors (1947-1951)
    CWW70 - Canadian Who's Who 1970
    DBA - Dictionary of British Artists
    Hu - Hughes, Margaret, A Guide to Canadian Painters (1940)
    MM - Montreal Museum
    RA - Royal Academy of Arts, Exhibitions 1905-1970
    TB2 - Thomas & Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden etc.
    US - University of Saskatechewan Permanent Art Collection (1980)
    WWB34 - Who's Who in Art 1934, London England

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS) (provided courtesy Annette Fulford)

Clippings

BELL obituary
      Vancouver Sun, February 20 1978, page 40 (provided courtesy Annette Fulford)

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