Accession Number

992.018b

Description

This is a framed oil painting on canvas depicting Craigdarroch Castle silhouetted against a blue sky and surrounded by a growth of Garry oak trees, the mid and foreground a flat green pasture with two brown horses with black manes standing at left, the pasture bordered by a grey stone wall at the far side with two tall deciduous trees at the right foreground.

Narrative

This painting once belonged to James Swan Harvey, (1872-1932) a grandson of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir, and his wife Mabel (nee Gaudin) Harvey (1880-1945).  They married in 1899 and built a house on Knapp Island, located just off Swartz Bay, Vancouver Island.  James Swan Harvey also owned Piers Island, .5 km west of Knapp Island. Today, BC Ferries operates its ferry service from Swartz Bay, and the old Harvey house can be easily seen from passing ferries. In 1936, Mabel Harvey sold the house and most of its contents, including this painting. A subsequent owner of the island donated the picture to The Castle Society.

It is not clear where the artist was standing when he conceived this picture. To recreate this viewing angle today, one would need to stand on Moss Street, somewhere close to Fort Street, or possibly even on the Fort Street sidewalk at Moss Street. Old fire maps and photographs suggest that the stone wall depicted in the picture did not exist when it was painted. The depiction of Craigdarroch’s main tower is inaccurate in that its circumference in relation to the main building is greater in the painting than it is.   

History of Use

This painting was donated to The Castle Society in 1992 by the owner of Knapp Island, a small island situated about 200 metres north of Swartz Bay, Vancouver Island. The painting had been taken there sometime between 1899 and 1925 by Joan and Robert Dunsmuir’s grandson James Swan Harvey (1872-1932) when he resided there. The painting then stayed inside the island’s house through successive ownerships until the donation to The Society was made. It is not known where the painting was kept before it was taken to Knapp Island by the Harvey family. Because its early history can be traced to the Harvey (Dunsmuir) family, there is reason to believe that it may have hung in Craigdarroch during Joan Olive Dunsmuir’s lifetime.  

Date

circa 1899

Dimensions

75 x 49 cm

Artwork Title

untitled

Subject/Image

Craigdarroch Castle

Medium

Oil

Support

Canvas

Technique

Painted

Inscription

E.S. Shrapnel A.R.C.A. [and date numbers partially obscured]

Country of Origin

Canada