Accession Number

989.015b

Description

A coloured oil pastel portrait of a middle aged woman, Mary Jean Dunsmuir (also known as Mrs. Henry Croft, 1862-1928) from the waist up, sitting with her body and head turned slightly to her left, her dark blonde hair brushed back and pinned in a loose bun on the top of her head with short bangs across her forehead, wearing a royal blue dress with lace trim along the top edge, a white feather boa wrapped around her shoulders and down her arms, wearing drop-earrings and a gold and diamond necklace, the painting's background in graduated brightness of mottled dark blue and mauve colours.

Narrative

This painting depicts Mary Jean Dunsmuir, the fifth of eight daughters of Craigdarroch’s builders, Robert and Joan Olive Dunsmuir. While there are numerous surviving photographs of Mary Croft, this is the only known oil pastel portrait of her. That it was painted by the important Canadian artist, Francis Rowley (see artist’s biography), adds to its significance.

Mary was born in Nanaimo in 1862, married businessman Henry Croft in 1885, and died in Victoria in 1928. She lived in a large house situated on the westernmost reaches of Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Called Mt. Adelaide, the mansion had a broad view of the harbour east to downtown Victoria and south to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The house had sumptuous interiors, and exceptional gardens. This portrait hung in Mt. Adelaide.

Mary was very active in charity work. She was a founder of Victoria’s Alexandra Club (a private club for women) and a leader of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.). She raised considerable sums of money for the Great War effort both singly, and as a member of the IODE. As a result, she was named Lady of Grace in the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.

The donor of this portrait, her grand-niece Catherine Henrietta Maud Macdonald (1914-1998) (also known as ‘Porky’), remembered the wonderful Christmas parties at “Aunt Mary’s” home. She informed Craigdarroch’s Curator Bruce Davies that during one Christmas party, the adults caught the children sliding down the enormous main staircase on silver platters. The children were admonished, and then sent to bed. They were later awakened by the riotous sounds of the adults. They snuck down the hallway to see the grown-ups sliding down the staircase on the same silver platters! Frivolities such as these took place in the presence of this portrait of Mary, a woman referred to by several members of the Bryden family as, “Aunt Mary, Good God Almighty”! ¹

The painter of this portrait, Francis Rowley, also painted the portrait of Irish playwright and poet Oscar Wilde. That portrait inspired him to write his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.²

1. Several of Mary’s relatives told Craigdarroch Curator Bruce Davies that Mary was referred to by the family by this moniker. These family members include: Peter Croft Bryden and his son John Andrew Bryden; Gerald Robert Bryden and his daughters Laurie Ann Bryden and Susan Mary Bryden. 

2. St. James Gazette, September 24, 1890.   

History of Use

This painting was first kept at Mt. Adelaide, the Esquimalt residence of Mary Croft (1862-1928). After her death, it became the property of her niece, Joan Olive Bryden (aka Mrs. Alastair Douglas Macdonald b.1887-d.1959) and it was kept at the Macdonald family farm called Duntulm in North Saanich, BC. The next owner was Joan Olive Bryden’s daughter, Catherine Henrietta Maud Macdonald (nicknamed “Porky” aka Mrs. John Waters b.1914-d.1998) who kept it last at her Saltspring Island, BC residence before donating it to The Castle Society in 1989.

Date

circa 1912

Dimensions

74 x 54.5 cm

Artwork Title

untitled

Subject/Image

Mary Jean Dunsmuir (Mrs. Henry Croft)

Medium

Pastel

Support

Paper

Technique

Painted