John A. Hammond
John Hammond | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 11, 1843 |
| Died | 1939 (aged 95–96) |
| Education | Staff photographer forWilliam Notman |
| Patron(s) | William Van Horne |
John Hammond,RCA(April 11, 1843 – 1939) was a Canadianadventurer,photographer,artist,printmakerandarteducator.
Career
[edit]Born inMontreal,Quebec,Hammond began working with his father, who was amarblecutter, at age nine. As a young man, Hammond joined the localmilitiaand was sent to counterattack an expectedFenian raidthat never materialized. Seeking his fortune, in the 1860s he joined theCentral Otago Gold RushinNew Zealandand spent three years searching forgold.After returning to Montreal, he trained and worked as a staffphotographerfor the renownedWilliam Notmanand joined theGeological Survey of Canadathat laid out the route west for theCanadian Pacific Railway.His interest in painting was enhanced by his travels and after becoming a member of thePlymouth Brethrenreligious sect, his devotion toChristianitywould sometimes be reflected in his art.
A member of theRoyal Canadian Academy of Arts,[1]Hammond traveled toDordrechtinSouth Hollandwhere he painted briefly withJames McNeill Whistler,and inFrancehe visited theforests of Fontainebleauand painted withJean-François Millet(fils) and others associated with theBarbizon school.In 1885, he exhibited at theParis Salon.One of his paintings was illustrated in the catalogue. His works were also shown at a number of other important venues including theRoyal AcademyinLondonand theNational Academy of DesigninNew York City.Today, examples of his work can be seen in collections of theNational Gallery of Canada,Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec,[2]Owens Art Gallery at Mount Allison University, and some of his photography at theMcCord Museum.Between 1878 and 1892 he lived in Saint John, New Brunswick where he ran the Notman Studio there until 1884.[3]
Hammond was a friend of the wealthy businessman andart collectorWilliam Van Hornewho purchased some of his paintings. Van Horne was president ofCanadian Pacific Railway(CPR) and he hired Hammond to create paintings and murals at CPR hotels and offices depicting scenes from the company's various railroad routes. Hammond traveled via steam ship toChinaandJapanbut these influences are minimal in his art. Some of Hammond's best known works depict theBay of Fundy,including scenes of the harbour atSaint John, New Brunswickwith its ever-present fog.
In 1893, Hammond was appointed Head of the Fine Arts Department atMount Allison UniversityinSackville, New Brunswickand served as Administrator of the university's Owens Museum of Fine Arts. In 1904, he won a bronze medal at the Canadian exhibition at the Louisiana Purchase Expositionin St. Louis, Missouri.[4]
In 1929, Montrealdepartment storemagnate and avid art collectorJ. Aird Nesbittpublished "John Hammond: A Short Biography of Canada's Oldest Artist."[5]
Hammond died in 1939 at the age of 96. The Hammond Gate at Mount Allison University was his design and is named in his memory. His house in Sackville was designated aNational Historic Site of Canadain 1990.[6]In 2002, the town of Sackville held a "Celebration of John Hammond’s Cultural Gifts"that included an exhibition of his paintings.
References
[edit]- ^"Members since 1880".Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Archived fromthe originalon 26 May 2011.Retrieved11 September2013.
- ^"John Hammond | Collection Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec".collections.mnbaq.org.Retrieved13 July2019.
- ^Roger Hall, Gordon Dodds and Stanley Triggs,The World of William Notman: The Nineteenth Century Through a Master Lens,Boston: Godine, 1993 p. 32
- ^Williamson, Moncrieff."Robert Harris: An Unconventional Biography".search.library.utoronto.ca.McClelland & Stewart, Toronto. pp. 180–183.Retrieved2 May2021.
- ^Nesbitt, J. Aird. (1929).A short biography of Canada's oldest artist, John Hammond, R.C.A., as told to J. Aird Nesbitt.Jas. A. Ogilvy's.OCLC61539944.
- ^Hammond House.Canadian Register of Historic Places.Retrieved 20 February 2012.
Bibliography
[edit]- Bruce, Tobi; Cable, Patrick Shaw (2011).The French Connection: Canadian Painters at the Paris Salons 1880-1900.Hamilton, Ontario: Art Gallery of Hamilton.Retrieved15 April2021.
External links
[edit]- History of Owens Art Gallery
- Tantramar Heritage Trust
- Google Maps Street View of what is likely to be the old Hammond Gate at 49 York Street, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, Canada
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1843 births
- 1939 deaths
- Canadian male painters
- Academic staff of Mount Allison University
- Artists from Montreal
- Artists from New Brunswick
- People of the Fenian raids
- Canadian Plymouth Brethren
- People from Sackville, New Brunswick
- 19th-century Canadian painters
- 19th-century Canadian photographers
- 19th-century printmakers
- 20th-century Canadian painters
- 20th-century Canadian printmakers
- 20th-century Canadian photographers
- 19th-century Canadian male artists
- 20th-century Canadian male artists
- Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts