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Walter James Baber
Walter James Baber, his wife Edith, and their daughter Elsie on Columbia Street in New Westminster, British Columbia, circa 1910.
Born24 August 1855
Knightsbridge, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Died18 October 1924 (aged 69)
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Known forWatercolour
MovementRealism

Walter James Baber (24 August 1855 - 18 October 1924)[1][2] was an English-Canadian artist who is best known for painting landscapes in watercolour.[3] Although he previously worked as an artist in England and Europe, Baber is most associated with his views of British Columbia, stemming from his residence at New Westminster for over twenty years.

Biography

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Walter James Baber was born in Knightsbridge within London on 24 August 1855.[1][3] His grandfather and father, both named James Baber, were floorcloth manufacturers.[4][5] His father was additionally a painter.[6] Little is known of Walter's early life, but by 1881 he was working as an artist while living in Croydon, Surrey.[5] During the 1880s, he painted scenes in Wales, Switzerland, and Venice.[7]

In 1897, Baber, with his wife Edith and son Malcolm, emigrated to Canada, with their destination being Victoria in British Columbia. On arrival, believing that living on an island would be a disadvantage, they settled on the mainland.[8] Their initial residence was in Burnaby, on Tenth Avenue opposite the present site of New Westminster Secondary School, just across the boundary from New Westminster.[9] Here their daughter Elsie was born. In 1902, they moved to Fifth Avenue in New Westminster proper, remaining in the same location until his death.[8] Baber took trips up the Fraser River on the Ramona sternwheeler, explored the surrounding forest trails, and travelled to the mountains in the vicinity.[9] He taught art to students privately.[8] Baber died on 18 October 2024 in New Westminster.[2] His daughter Elsie inherited many oils and watercolours by her father, displaying them in her home on Second Street in the neighbourhood of Queen's Park, described as "a veritable treasure house".[9]

Art and legacy

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New Westminster Bridge. 1912-1924.

While Baber practiced oil painting,[9] he is remembered more for his preferred medium of watercolours.[3][10] His subjects were usually landscapes along with occasional city views. The settings were primarily in British Columbia, particularly in the Lower Mainland and on the Pacific coast, Alberta, the United Kingdom, and Europe.[6][10] A prolific artist, his depictions were sought after by area residents, and were still being framed regularly three decades after his death.[9]

In 1958, his paintings were featured in an exhibition with a New Westminster theme, blending both past and present artworks, in a joint project of St. Hilda's Guild of Holy Trinity Cathedral and the British Columbia Centennial committee.[9] In 1978, eight of his watercolours were exhibited at the Uno Langmann Gallery in Vancouver.[2] Two years later, a selection of his oils and watercolours were shown at the New Westminster Public Library. In 2000, four of his works were displayed at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.[11] In 2023, his painting B.C. Lake appeared in an exhibition of watercolours at the Petley Jones Gallery in Vancouver.[12]

Baber's paintings are in the collections of the Vancouver Art Gallery (12 works),[10] the British Columbia Archives (6 works),[13] the City of Vancouver Archives (6 works),[14] the Vancouver Maritime Museum (5 works),[15] and the University of Victoria Legacy Art Galleries (3 works).[16] A record price of $1400 CAD for one of his watercolours was achieved in 2024 for The Narrows, Stanley Park.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Census of Canada, 1901". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Sim, Gary. "British Columbia Artists: Walter James Baber". Sim Publishing. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c An exhibition of our collection of early western Canadian watercolours. Vancouver: Uno Langmann. June 1978. p. 21 – via Vancouver Public Library.
  4. ^ "Trevor Square Area: Smith & Baber's Floorcloth Factory". British History Online. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881". Kew, Surrey: The National Archives of the UK. Retrieved 15 December 2024 – via Ancestry.ca.
  6. ^ a b "Exhibition of Early Canadian Masterpieces". Uno Langmann Limited. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  7. ^ "A Small Collection of framed Watercolours by W.J. Baber, the majority landscape subjects, including Castle Chillon, Switzerland, Venice, Hotel, Tintern, Alfriston and others, all signed, some with initials, many inscribed and variously dated from 1880 to 1888". Christie's. 17 November 1993. Archived from the original on 24 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Scott, Jack Daniel (1985). Once in the Royal City: The Heritage of New Westminster. North Vancouver: Whitecap Books. p. 56. ISBN 0-920620-81-7 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Past, Present to be Linked in Centennial Art Exhibit". The Columbian. New Westminster. 29 January 1958 – via artist file for Walter James Baber located at the National Gallery of Canada.
  10. ^ a b c "Walter James Baber". askArt. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  11. ^ Brecken, Jennifer; Delgado, James P. (2000). Beyond the Canvas: Artists, Stories and the Sea. Vancouver Maritime Museum. p. 22. ISBN 0-9695221-4-2.
  12. ^ "Suspended: Works in Watercolour". Petley Jones Gallery. 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Search results: Walter James Baber". BC Archives. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Search results: Walter James Baber". City of Vancouver Archives. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  15. ^ "Search results: Walter James Baber". Vancouver Maritime Museum. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Search results: Walter James Baber". University of Victoria Legacy Art Galleries. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Walter James Baber". Canadian Art Value. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
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[[Category:1855 births [[Category:1924 births [[Category:Artists from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea [[Category:People from New Westminster [[Category:19th-century English painters [[Category:20th-century English painters [[Category:19th-century Canadian painters [[Category:20th-century Canadian painters [[Category:Canadian watercolourists [[Category:Artists from British Columbia [[Category:19th-century English male artists [[Category:20th-century English male artists [[Category:19th-century Canadian male artists [[Category:20th-century Canadian male artists [[Category:English emigrants to Canada

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