Arthur Heming Collection: Finding Aid

Arthur Henry Howard Heming (1870-1940) gained international renown as the "chronicler of the North", through his vivid depictions of Canada's northlands in paintings, sketches, essays and books. Heming was an original occupant of Lawren S. Harris (1885-1970) and Dr. James M. MacCallum's (1860-1943) Studio Building, Toronto and a member of the Arts and Letters Club, Toronto. Born in Paris, Ontario and raised in Hamilton, Heming studied in New York and London under Frank Vincent DuMond (1865-1951) and Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956) respectively. His illustrations of northern wildlife, trappers and aboriginal people were widely published throughout North America and Europe, and his three published novels Spirit Lake, The Drama of the Forests and The Living Forest drew heavily from his experiences in northern Canada. Although Heming's best known works are his later brightly coloured oil paintings, the artist worked exclusively in black, white and yellow until he was 60 years old, having been informed at an early age that he was colour blind.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection consists primarily of research material related to the life and work of Arthur Heming gathered by J. Bryan Vaughan. The research material includes reproductions of Heming's paintings and illustrations, many signed by Heming; a photocopy of an unpublished Heming manuscript and other examples of Heming's writing; numerous clippings related to Heming and his work; and correspondence regarding research on the life and work of Heming.

Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of collection.

Immediate source of acquisition: Donated by J. Bryan Vaughan of Toronto, 1996.

Location of other materials: Other holdings in the National Gallery of Canada's collections related to Arthur Heming include: three grisaille oils produced for feature illustrations in Canadian Courier, The Cattle Thief, The Bear Hunter, and Timber Crib in the Calumet Rapids; two monochrome oils prepared as illustrations for The Living Forest, Leaping Caribou and How We Travelled, proof illustrations for Spirit Lake, and for W.A. Fraser's Mooswa and Sa' Zada Tales and The Racing Cyclist, A Dog Brigade, The Spirit-Wolf of Spirit Lake, Northern Lights over an Igloo and Death and The Old Man. J.B. Vaughan also donated a number of books, exhibition catalogues, and auction sales catalogues related to Arthur Heming to the National Gallery of Canada Library. A list of these items is available.

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Organization of the Collection
	The fonds has been arranged into 3 series followed by two lists.

		Series 1 - Research Material Related to Arthur Heming
		Series 2 - Heming: Paintings, Illustrations and Writing
		Series 3 - Correspondence
		Audio-Visual Material
		Signed Arthur Heming Reproductions within the Archival Collection

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Index Terms

	Names:
		Challener, Frederick Sproston, 1869-1959
		Chalmers, Floyd S.
		Heming, Arthur, 1870-1940
		Laing, G. Blair, 1911-1991
		LaNauze, Charles D.
		Vaughan, J. Bryan
	Subjects:
		Heming, Arthur, 1870-1940
	Document Types:
		Audio cassettes.
		Clippings files.
		Correspondence.
		Manuscript.
		Photographs.
		Reproductions.
		Research files.
		Video cassettes.

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Administrative Information

Custodial History

J. Bryan Vaughan, a long time admirer and collector of Arthur Heming's art and writing, gathered the items in this collection with the intention of publishing a biography of the painter. A number of items in the collection came to J.B. Vaughan from T.R. Lee, an amateur historian and a collector of art archives. These items include: Fred Challener's (1869-1959) notes on Arthur Heming and correspondence addressed to T.R. Lee from W.E. Austin and Roy Greenaway.

Preferred Citation

[Title of item], Arthur Heming Collection, Library and Archives, National Gallery of Canada.

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Contact Information

Cyndie Campbell

Head, Archives, Documentation and Visual Resources

Library and Archives

National Gallery of Canada

380 Sussex Drive

P.O. Box 427, Station A

Ottawa, Ontario

K1N 9N4

T 613-990-0597

F 613-990-9818

[email protected]

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Series Level Descriptions

Research Material Related to Arthur Heming. - [1894-1996]. - 6 cm of textual records, 1 videocassette, and 1 audio cassette.

Series consists of material compiled by J. Bryan Vaughan during the course of his research into the life and work of Arthur Heming. More specifically, the series consists of essays by Floyd S. Chalmers, Charles D. LaNauze of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and G. Blair Laing on Arthur Heming; Fred Challener's notes on Heming; notes on Chuck Matthews recollections of Heming; notes on the owners and locations of Heming paintings; biographical notes and other general notes on Heming; clippings; sales and auction information for Heming paintings; Trees and Deers and Arthur Heming a brief excerpt (28 seconds) of Heming painting at his easel from a film by Chuck Matthews of the members of the Arts and Letters Club in the early 1930s; and J.B. Vaughan's interview (audio recording and transcript) with Mrs. A.B. Lemon (A. Heming's second cousin) regarding Heming.

Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of series.

Arrangement: Series is arranged as follows: Biographical essays (1 file); Fred Challener's notes on A. Heming (1 file); Clippings (2 files); Sales, auctions and holdings information (1 file); General notes (1 file); Miscellaneous material (1 file); Trees and Deers and Arthur Heming (1 videocassette); and B. Vaughan's interview with Mrs. A.B. Lemon (1 audio cassette).

See Box List for this Series

See Audio Visual Material for this Series

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Heming: Paintings, Illustrations and Writing. - 1896-1940. - 4.8 cm of textual records, 16 photographs, and 1 copper plate.

Series consists of signed reproductions, cards, postcards, photographs and negatives of Arthur Heming paintings and illustrations; tear sheets of Heming's illustrations and writing; a photograph of Arthur Heming; a cancelled copper plate of an engraving of Heming's Alexander MacKenzie Crossing the Rockies in 1793; and a photocopy of an unpublished manuscript entitled The Lion's in the Lady's Den.

Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of series.

Arrangement: Series is arranged as follows: Tear sheets from books and periodicals (1 file); Photographs and negatives (1 file); Copper plate (1 file); The Lion's in the Lady's Den (1 file); and reproductions of J.B. Vaughan's collection of Heming reproductions (1 file).

A list of the signed reproductions is available.

See Box List for this Series

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Correspondence. - 1939, 1955-1996. - 7 cm of textual records and 3 photographs.

Series consists of primarily of J.B. Vaughan's correspondence regarding his research on the life and work of Arthur Heming. Correspondents include T.R. Lee, Roy Greenaway, William Colgate, G. Blair Laing (1911-1991), members of the Heming family, art museums and libraries, and owners of Heming paintings. Copies of Heming correspondence to Florence Griswold, dating 1906-1920, are included among the Vaughan correspondence, as are many clippings related to Heming. The series also includes a letter from Arthur Heming to William Colgate and 4 letters to T.R. Lee related to Heming, from W.E. Austin of General Motors and Roy Greenaway. Three photographs of paintings by Heming are also included in this series.

Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of series.

Arrangement: Series is arranged as follows: J.B. Vaughan's correspondence (7 files); A. Heming's correspondence (1 file); and T.R. Lee's correspondence (1 file).

See Box List for this Series

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Box List

Series 1 - Research Material Related to Arthur Heming

Box

Folder

Box 1

File 1

Biographical Essays, 1925-198-

File 2

Fred Challener's Notes on Arthur Heming

File 3

Clippings: Originals, 1921-1977

File 4

Clippings: Photocopies, 1894-1940

File 5

Sales, Auctions and Holdings, 1923-1996

File 6

General Notes

File 7

B. Vaughan's Interview with Mrs. A.B. Lemon (Transcript)

File 8

Miscellaneous Material

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Series 2 - Heming: Paintings, Illustrations and Writing

Box

Folder

Box 1

File 9

Photographs and Negatives

File 10

Unpublished Manuscript

File 11

Reproductions of B. Vaughan's Collection of Heming Prints

File 12

Tear Sheets from Books and Periodicals, 1896-1938

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Series 3 - Correspondence

Box

Folder

Box 2

File 1

B. Vaughan's Correspondence, 1957-1968

File 2

B. Vaughan's Correspondence, 1970-1979

File 3

B. Vaughan's Correspondence, 1980-1989

File 4

B. Vaughan's Correspondence, 1990-1996

File 5

B. Vaughan's Correspondence, n.d.

File 6

Vaughan's Correspondence with the National Gallery of Canada regarding Heming

File 7

Vaughan's Correspondence regarding his Heming Biography Project

File 8

Heming's Correspondence

File 9

T.R. Lee's Correspondence, 1955-1958

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Audio-Visual Material

1 video cassette: Trees and Deers and Arthur Heming

1 audio cassette: B. Vaughan's interview with Mrs. A.B. Lemon

Series 1 - Research Material Related to Arthur Heming

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Signed Arthur Heming Reproductions

A Dog Brigade (2 signed copies)

12.5 x 15.6 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mount.

Their Only Chance

16.8 x 21.4 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist on mount with the following dedication - "To Henrietta Wright from Arthur Heming" in graphite.

To Dance the New Year In (1932)

16 x 21.3 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist on mount with the following dedication - "To Miss Wright from Arthur Heming" in graphite.

To Dance the New Year In (1932)

26.3 x 36.6 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist on mount with the following dedication - "To Alexander McIntyre from Arthur Heming" in graphite.

To Dance the New Year In (1932)

25.25 x 35.5 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, the title and Arthur Heming's signature in graphite have been cut out from a previous mat and glued to the present mat.

To Enforce the Law

28.8 x 21 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mount.

A Trail to Treasure (1930)

31.3 x 43 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mat by another hand.

Voyageurs Crossing the Rockies (1931)

31 x 41.8 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mount.

The Pacific Express (1930)

31.5 x 43 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mount.

The Rocky Mountain Packet

30.5 x 45.5 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mount.

The Caribou Hunter

30.2 x 40.2 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mount.

Mackenzie Crossing the Rockies (1932)

27.5 x 40 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mount.

Canada Geese

35.5 x 28.5 cm.

Colour photolitho

Note: Reproduction glued to paper backing and matted, titled and signed by artist in graphite on mount.

Where the Red Gods Live

20.5 x 25.5 cm.

Note: Photograph (b & w), signed on verso by Arthur Heming

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