King George's Sound,
N.W. coast of America.
Ellias, William, 1778
PDP05075
British Columbia is a land of contrasts, a rich and biologically diverse area encompassing deserts, plains, mountains and coastal areas. The early European explorers and settlers to the area were in awe of the landscape which differed so much from that of their own countries. Many of these people made sketches and drawings of the landscape and environs through which they travelled. These drawings were created to convey to others, the look and feel of the land they were encountering.
In the nineteenth century Europe, a facility in drawing was considered fashionable and desirable amongst the middle and upper classes who were well educated (it was firmly entrenched in school curricula) and had leisure time. For many it was a personal enjoyment as well as means of communication. Prior to the invention of photography, sketching was the only means of conveying visual information. In fact, the philosophy behind instruction in the arts was a desire for realism.
The amateur sketcher of the nineteenth century owed much to the instruction given at military academies for documentary artists. The Royal Engineers' establishment at Chatham, for instance, had courses in surveying, topographical drawing, and practical architecture. The curriculum in one naval academy comprised: "Navigation, Geometry, Arithmetic, English Writing, French, Drawing, Fencing and Dancing. Every student by way of passing out had to produce a 'Plan of Learning,' usually profusely illustrated." 1
Landscape painting of the nineteenth century developed from these functional sketches created by draughtsmen. Using the techniques applicable for military purposes and blending them with a landscape setting gave them a popular appeal and acceptance. This application is evident in the works of Paul Sandby, an instructor at the Woolwich Academy. The extension of topographic sketches into artistic representations was the basis of the school of landscape painting that developed in England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. To this were added aesthetic concepts of "picturesque beauty", described as: "that which would look well in pictures", and the concept of the sublime, introduced by William Gilpin, described as "obscurity, an overwhelming effect of vastness and infinity".2
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The entrance into Ship-cove, King George's Sound, N.W. coast of America. Ellias, William, 1778 PDP05075 |
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Fort Victoria, Vancouver Island Haverfield, J.T., August, 1848 PDP01180 |
A system of conventional colours was used to stress significant features. Colour was then added to the finished sketch and pencil lines partially rubbed out and all detail added in ink.
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Seamen & marines ofHMS Constance marching out of Fort Victoria Haverfield, J.T., August 29, 1848 PDP01181 |
Reflection was used to add interest and contribute to the serenity of the scene, and to add a middle tone. Warm colours were used for the foreground, cool colours for distance. The documentary veracity of these works has been tested by comparison to period and modern photographs; topographic maps and written descriptions and found to be very accurate. 3
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Boccarelli Sound on the N.W. Coast of America Sept. 11, 1792 PDP01330 |
Comparisons between field sketches and later, finished works can be made by examining the art works included in the landscape galleries.
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On Lake Louise, Bell-Smith, Frederic Marlett, 1880s PDP01923 |
Emerging from this tradition were nineteenth century artists who travelled to the northwest coast.
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The Flying Squadron, Esquimalt, 1870, Rattray, Alexander PDP00183 |
View selected landscape art works by:
J.T. Haverfield
Sigismund Bacstrom
R.F. Britten
Herman Otto Tiedeman,
Edward M. Richardson
Frederick Whymper,
Edmund Thomas Coleman
Edward Mallaindaine
