BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Frederick Louis Tait

c1870 - June 27 1942

Bogardus-Wickens Limited (stained glass)
B.C. Society of Fine Arts


Frederick Louis Tait was born in Birmingham, England, and trained there as an etcher and stained glass designer-painter. He came to Vancouver in 1912 to work for the Bogardus-Wickens company making stained glass.

He exhibited his artwork in Vancouver in the early part of the the 1900s with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts. At least one of his etchings is on file at the B.C. Archives in Victoria, who loaned Moonrise to an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in 1983.

He had work in the annual B.C. Artists show at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1934.

Tait died in Vancouver in 1942 at the age of 72, according to BC Vital Statistics on-line, although a death certificate is not posted.


SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION LOCATION
1942 March 17 - 29 Solo exhibition (33 prints) VAG

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1917 Sept. 14 - 22 B.C.S.F.A.   Eleventh Exhibition Design for Stained Glass Window
October Day
A Greek Girl
1934 Sept. 21 - Oct. 14 VAG   3rd Annual B.C. Artists Burrard Bridge from my Window (Early Morning)
Dec. 9 1978 - March 18 1979 Rainbows In Our Walls Untitled self-portrait (w/c)
English Bay #28 (w/c 1921)
English Bay #35 (w/c 1921)
Sea and Sails (w/c 1921)
Untitled self portrait (etching 1927)
Untitled scene Birmingham (etching 1899)
Untitled Tudor woman (etching 1927)
Untitled cobbler (mezzotint 1913)
Lynn Valley (etching 1930)
Path to Siwash Rock S. Park (etching 1930)
Sunset Beach (etching 1930)
First Narrows Beach (etching 1930)
Oct. 6 - Nov. 27 1983 Printmaking in B.C. 1889-1983 Moonrise (etching 1928)

References

THE FINE ARTS IN VANCOUVER, 1886 - 1930 (refer to THOM69)

RAINBOWS IN OUR WALLS - Art and Stained Glass in Vancouver 1890 - 1940
      1980 exhibition catalogue, Vancouver Centennial Museum, Robert D. Watt
      Exhibition December 9 1978 - March 18 1979. ISBN 0-919253-02-4 (paper)
      Overview of stained glass making, local history of stained glass installation
      Biographies of James Blomfield, Charles Bloomfield, Bloomfield and Sons, F.L. Tait, others
      Illustrated in colour and black and white; list of exhibits and illustrations

ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)

PRINTMAKING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 1889-1983 (refer to AGGV83)

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS)

Obituary of the artist, published in the News Herald, July 3 1942

https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/n-t-two-small-sketchbooks

Clippings

"No. 436 - F. Louis Tait
Mr. Tait is a British artist who has resided in Vancouver since 1912 and has gained a reputation for himself in the city as a designer of stained glass windows and painter of miniature portraits. Mr. Tait has lately resumed work as an etcher and has devoted considerable time to this difficult art. His exhibition will consist of line engravings, drypoints, mezzotints and stipple engravings. Included are scenes of Vancouver of an earlier day."
      From Vancouver Art Gallery Bulletin, Vol. 9 No. 9 March 1942

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