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Description found in Archives

Title

Art Album of Mary Louisa (Lambton) Bruce (1847-1852)  

Online (70)

File consists of

74 lower level description(s)

Arrangement structure

Show Arrangement Structure

File part of

Lady Mary Louisa Lambton Bruce [textual record, graphic material] (R977-15-2-E)

Date(s)

September 1847-August 1852

Place of creation

Canada

Extent

1 album (63 drawings and 11 watercolors); 28 x 38 x 4 cm.

Language of material

English

Scope and content

This album brings together art works created by Mary Louisa Lambton Bruce during her sojourn in the Province of Canada with her husband James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, from May 1847 until August 1853. She prefaced the album with a title page inscribed "Sketches 1847 & 1848 - ML.EK" and set another title page between pages [39] and [40] inscribed "Sketches 1849 ML E&K" but did not so distinguish the pages bearing later works. She glued her drawings and watercolours were glued to the pages and a graphite frame was drawn around many of them. At various times, 2 individual works and several entire pages were removed from the album by family members. Details of the current location of the works have been recorded where known or suspected. The images within the album include landscapes depicting the shoreline, gardens, towns; and riverscapes with sail and steam ships, and small craft, several drawn from shipboard. They depict various locations between the Quebec city region in Canada East and Niagara Falls in Canada West (as the regions of the Province of Canada were then known). The front paste-down end-paper bears a printed green and black plaid design. The label, positioned at the center of that page, reads "Campbell Bryson, Bookseller, Stationer, Blank Book Manufacturer, General Binder, &c…, Montreal". This stationer's label and watermarks in the paper support the conclusion that Lady Elgin assembled this album during her residence in the Province of Canada, 1847-1853, most probably when withdrawn from social activities while awaiting the births of her sons. Her albums of 1837-1839 and 1847-1852 exhibit similar practices in drawing frames, inscribing her initials (MLL in the 1830s, MLB or ML EK after marriage) and noting the date and/or place.

Conditions of access

Graphic (art)
90: Open
Volume
17
90: Open
Archival reference no.
R977-19-X-E

Additional information

Custodial history
Page numbers have been applied to the album leaves for control purposes. Details of the current known locations of works missing from the album were recorded during 2010 but much of that information is not currently accessible in the item-level descriptions, most importantly the links from the album to the detached works/pages (notably 19 and 67-71) in volumes 22-23, with negative consequences for anyone attempting a "virtual recreation" of the album's original state. Where two or more items appear on a folio page, separate digital images have been made of the items and the ensemble thereof.

Source

Private

MIKAN no.

3974541