Craigdarroch Castle : Artwork : etching [2017.016.005]

Artwork

Accession Number

2017.016.005

Description

A circa 1911 view of Victoria’s Inner Harbour looking east. A barge with a man holding a line is in the in the bottom left. On the right is a dugout canoe with two paddlers. The middle of the scene is dominated by a dredger under steam and warehouses along the waterfront. In the background are the old Customs House and Victoria Post Office at upper left, and the Empress Hotel at upper right.

Narrative

Victoria’s working harbour is very evident in this scene. Structural steel for the Belmont Block building construction project is seen projecting above the roof of the Post Office, suggesting this scene was captured before the scene in 2017.016.004 - perhaps as early as 1910.

This etching is part of a set seven etchings by the highly-regarded American Arts & Crafts painter, sculptor, etcher and picture frame designer Frederick William Harer (1879-1949). These etchings depict early 20^th Century harbour scenes in Victoria and Vancouver with a high degree of aesthetic sensitivity. Their connection to Mary Jean Dunsmuir (Mrs. Henry Croft), herself a painter, musician and lover of theatre, affirms her commitment to art and her appreciation for Victoria’s working harbour, which she saw daily from her Esquimalt (West Bay) waterfront house, Mt. Adelaide.

History of Use

The set of seven etchings, from which this is one, was acquired by Mary Jean Dunsmuir (Mrs. Henry Croft) in about 1913. After her death in 1928, the etchings were inherited by her sister’s son’s daughter, Lucy Lenore Bryden, who bequeathed them to her son, the donor.