Fonds 69-002 - Katherine E. Wallis fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Katherine E. Wallis fonds

General material designation

    Parallel title

    Other title information

    Title statements of responsibility

    Title notes

    • Source of title proper: Title based on the creator of the fonds.

    Level of description

    Fonds

    Reference code

    69-002

    Edition area

    Edition statement

    Edition statement of responsibility

    Class of material specific details area

    Statement of scale (cartographic)

    Statement of projection (cartographic)

    Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

    Statement of scale (architectural)

    Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

    Dates of creation area

    Date(s)

    • 1861-1956 (Creation)
      Creator
      Wallis, Katherine E.

    Physical description area

    Physical description

    8 volumes of textual records and other materials
    photographs
    drawings

    Publisher's series area

    Title proper of publisher's series

    Parallel titles of publisher's series

    Other title information of publisher's series

    Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

    Numbering within publisher's series

    Note on publisher's series

    Archival description area

    Name of creator

    Biographical history

    Katherine E. Wallis was born in 1860 in Peterborough, Ontario. She studied art as a copyist at the National Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland and later at the Royal College of Art in London, England. In London she discovered sculpting as her medium of expression and won the College's bronze medal and the Modellers' Free Scholarship for her work. After two years of study in London, she went to Paris to study under noted sculptor Oscar Waldmann and was soon invited to exhibit at the Exposition Universelle where she won honourable mention. In subsequent years, she exhibited frequently in the Spring Salon of the Artists Francais and later in the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts, as well as at numerous exhibits in London and elsewhere in the British Isles. Katherine E. Wallis' career was interrupted by World War I while she served as a nurse in the Canadian Hospital in Paris, France. For her services she was decorated by the French and British governments. At the end of the war, Miss Wallis spent several years in Canada exhibiting her work and visiting her sister in Peterborough, Ontario. Later she returned to Paris, and in 1929, she received her highest recognition as an artist when she was the first Canadian to be elected Societaire of the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts for her sculpture titled "La Lutte pour la Vie." She was forced to flee from France at the beginning of World War II and took up residence in Santa Cruz, California, where she lived until her death, 14 December 1957. Examples of the photographs are reproduced here.

    Custodial history

    The fonds remained within the Wallis family in Montreal, Quebec, until it was donated to Trent University in 1965 by Colonel Hugh M. Wallis, nephew of Katherine E. Wallis.

    Scope and content

    The fonds is in eight bound volumes and consists of letters, newspaper clippings, photographs, diaries, poetry, sketch books, accounts and a typewritten unpublished autobiography.

    Notes area

    Physical condition

    The original order of the fonds was destroyed. The fonds was bound into eight volumes in chronological order before it was donated to Trent University. NOTE: In 2012, bound volumes 5 and 6 were professionally disassembled to enable access.

    Immediate source of acquisition

    The fonds was donated by Colonel Hugh M. Wallis, nephew of Katherine E. Walls, February,1965.

    Arrangement

    The items in volumes one to five have been inserted loosely between the pages of the volumes. The sketchbooks bound into volume six are very difficult to research without causing damage to the sketches and bindings.

    Language of material

    • English
    • French

    Script of material

      Language and script note

      Some of the correspondence and news clippings are in French.

      Location of originals

      Availability of other formats

      The news clippings and the autobiography have been photocopied and contact sheets and negatives have been made of the photographs in the collection.

      Restrictions on access

      None

      Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

      Finding aids

      Associated materials

      Related materials: 14-001.

      Accruals

      General note

      Box 1

      Volume 1: 1860-1920

      Includes extracts from Katherine's diary 1881, diplomas, war medals, loose newspaper clippings and photographs. NOTE: See binder, Appendix "A" at end of collection which contains contact prints and negatives of photographs in volume 1. See file folder shelved at end of collection which contains xeroxed copies of newspaper clippings in volume 1.

      Volume 2: 1921-1945

      Includes exhibition press clippings, materials regarding visit to Bosnia, Greece; diary of trip sketching around the world, 1931; materials re Santa Cruz, 1944; Prague Medal, 1928; photographs of Wallis and her works. NOTE: See binder, Appendix "A" at end of collection which contains contact prints and negatives of all photographs in volume 2. See file folder shelved at end of collection which contains xeroxed newspaper clippings from volume 2.

      Volume 3: 1945-1957

      Life in Santa Cruz, poetry, literature, clippings and photographs. Notices re death of Wallis in December, 1957. NOTE: See binder, Appendix "A" at end of collection which contains contact prints and negatives of all photographs in volume 3. See file folder shelved at end of collection which contains xeroxed newspaper clippings from volume 3.

      Box 2

      Volume 4: Photographs of works of art and bound-in sketches and watercolours. These have not been copied.

      Volume 5: Poetry and Stories, 1893-1956 (NOTE: In 2012, this bound volume was professionally disassembled to enable access).

      Box 3

      Volume 6: Sketchbooks. Very fragile and difficult to use. (NOTE: In 2012, this bound volume was professionally disassembled to enable access). Included in this volume is a notebook with cover brand name "South Kensington Note Book, Lamley & Co." which contains photographs of models and art works. As with volumes 1, 2 and 3, contact prints and negatives of these photographs have been made and are included in the binder shelved at the end of this collection as Appendix "A".

      Box 4

      Volume 7: Diaries, address books, accounts, 1939-1956

      Volume 8: Autobiography entitled, "Before the West Became the East"; biography by A. R. Collins; published poems,"Chips From the Block."

      Box 5

      Folder 1: Correspondence, from vol. 1, no date

      Folder 2: Correspondence, from vol. 1, 1884-1920

      Folder 3: Correspondence, from vol. 2, no date

      Folder 4: Correspondence, from vol. 2, 1921-1929

      Folder 5: Correspondence, from vol. 2, 1930-1945

      Folder 6: Correspondence, from vol. 3, no date

      Folder 7: Correspondence, from vol. 3, 1946-1950

      Folder 8: Correspondence, from vol. 3, 1951-1959

      Folder 9: Miscellaneous copy photographs and negatives

      General note

      APPENDIX "A"

      CONTACT PRINTS AND NEGATIVES OF PHOTOGRAPHS

      Contact Sheet 1 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 1)

      2 Grandma Haultain, Helen, Bessie Gibson

      3 dup. of above

      4 William Donald Forbes

      11 Waldmann and "Owl"

      12 Nurse and 2 patients

      13 dup. of above

      14 Nurse and patients

      15 K. E. Wallis and patient

      16 KEW and patient

      Contact Sheet 2 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 3)

      2 unidentified

      3 KEW

      4 Mildred and KEW

      5 Helen Haultain

      6 KEW and Clara 1939

      7 Santa Cruz

      8 KEW, Mrs Brody, Mrs Lynton

      9 KEW, Santa Cruz

      10 Santa Cruz

      11 Sculpture

      12 KEW

      13 KEW, 1957

      14 KEW, 1957

      15 KEW

      16 Mrs Herron, Miss Gardner, KEW (1956)

      17 Duplicate of above

      18 "For Miss Katherine Wallis, 1953"

      19 Dup.

      20 Wallis studio, Santa Cruz, 1948

      Contact sheet 2 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 1)

      21 Adah and Katherine Wallis

      22 Ada and Katherine Wallis with horse

      23 Katherine and Adah Wallis

      24 Dup.

      25

      26 Katherine Wallis with dog

      27 Haultain grave stone

      28 Dup.

      29 War Medals

      30

      31 H Waldmann and student

      Contact Sheet 3 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 2)

      6 Waldmann sculpting

      7 Dup.

      8 KEW with sculpted bust

      9 KEW seated at desk

      10 Funeral of Msr. Trenier, 1937

      11 Quilt sent to Queen Elizabeth

      12 Chapel of L'Ascension, Paris

      13 Père Georges Lamothe, 1944

      14 Paris, 1944

      15 Dup.

      16 Bosnians in native costume

      17 Dup.

      18 Dup.

      19

      20 In the garden,Rue D'Allery, Paris

      21 Archimandrite Denis Chambault

      Contact Sheet 3 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 6)

      22 Unidentified, South Kensington Notebook

      (hereafter SKN)

      23 Same

      24 Same

      25 Same

      26 Same

      27

      28

      29

      30

      31

      32

      33

      34 SKN

      35 Dup. of above

      Contact Sheet 4 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 6)

      14

      15 SKN

      16 Dup.

      Contact Sheet 4 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 3)

      17 "From Pig-tails to KEW, 1956

      18 Same [her father ie Pig-tails, 1937]

      19 Same

      20 KEW in Santa Cruz studio

      21 KEW

      22 Harold's visit, 1949

      23 KEW and guest, 1949

      24 KEW and guests

      25 KEW: Harold's visit, 1949

      26 Kathleen Wallis and KEW, 1949

      27 KEW: HArold's visit, 1949

      28 KEW, 1949

      29 Mrs. Lynton, KEW, Gertrude

      30 Unidentified

      31 KEW

      32 KEW

      33 KEW, 1955

      34 KEW and nephew Hugh, 1955

      35 KEW, 1955

      36 KEW, 1955

      37 Roses, Santa Cruz

      38

      39

      40 KEW

      41 KEW

      42 KEW

      43 Santa Cruz

      Contact Sheet 5 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 1)

      5 C.S.W.

      6 Hospital Chaise

      7 C.S.W.

      8 KEW and patient

      9 KEW

      10 Unidentified

      17 KEW and Sergeant Besse

      18 KEW

      19

      20

      21 Unidentified (see sheet 1, nurse and patients)

      22 As above

      23 Unidentified

      24 KEW and Marechal Courtois

      25 "With love from Gertie & Marquis, 1919"

      Contact sheet 5 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 2)

      26 Exhibition at the Chateau Laurier

      27 Same

      28 Same

      29 Same

      30 Unidentified

      31 Exhibition at the Chateau Laurier

      32 KEW

      33 KEW and Clara Haultain

      34 KEW and Clara Haultain

      35 "K. sketching. F & the cat looking on, 1922"

      36 KEW and Waldmann

      37 Unidentified 2

      38 KEW

      39 Maj. Gen. F.J. Fraser

      40 KEW

      Contact Sheet 6(a)

      6 South Kensington Notebook (SKN)

      7 Dup. of 6

      8 Dup. of 6

      9 SKN

      10 Dup. of 9

      11 SKN

      12 Dup. of 11

      13 SKN

      14 Dup. of 13

      15 SKN

      16 Dup. of 15

      17 SKN

      Contact Sheet 6

      8

      9

      10 SKN. Dup. of 29

      11 SKN. Frieze

      12

      13

      14 SKN

      15 Dup. of 6:26

      16 SKN

      17 SKN

      18 SKN. Female model

      19 SKN. Female bust

      20 SKN. Frieze

      21 - 35 SKN: Various pieces of sculpture

      Contact Sheet 7

      4 - 32 SKN: Various pieces of sculpture

      Contact Sheet 7 (corresponding photographs located in Vol. 1)

      32 KEW in living room at Merino

      33 Merino

      34 Merino

      35 Katherine and Adah Wallis

      36 KEW about 1880

      37 "Piper of Hamelin"

      38 KEW

      39 "In Captivity" by Waldmann

      40 "Mother"

      Contact Sheet 8

      10 - 44 SKN: Various pieces of sculpture

      Contact Sheet 9

      6 - 17 SKN: Various pieces of sculpture

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