NEWTON MacTAVISH COLLECTION FINDING AID canpiled by Leslie A. Smith PatriciaE. Stone NORTH YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY CANADIANA COLLECTION August 1980 TABLE OF CONI'ENTS pages Newt:on McF'aul .t-1a.c'l.1avish .••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ii General Description of the Newton MacTavish Papers ••••••••.••••••••••• iii l'k>tes on tile Finding A.i.d. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ••••••• iv Series I : Artists' Papers ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1 Glossary of Artists Represented in the MacTavish Collection •••••••••••• 27 Index t:o Series I : Artists' Papers ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 31 Series II: Writers' Papers ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 34 t\~ Lt Glossary of Artists Represented in the MacTavish Collection •••••••••••• 76 Index tx) Series II: Writers' Papers ••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••• 86 ii NEW.ION McFAIJL MacTAVISH Newton McFaul Ma.cTavish, a major supporter of Canadian art and literature for over thirty years, was born in Staffa, Ontario, on the 17th of February 1875. He studied English Literature at McGill University, and later received an honorary M.A. (1924) and an honorary Litt. D. (1928) from Acadia University, Nova Scotia, for 11distinction in literary and pictorial criticism". He began his literary life in 1898 as a journalist on the staff of the 'Ibronto Globe, holding the post of Montreal correspondent and business representative for the paper from 1903 to 1906. In 1906 he succeeded Jolm Cooper as editor of The Canadian Magazine, a position he retained nntil 1926 when he becarre a member of the Canadian Civil Service Comnission. This post he occupied until 1932. MacTavish was one of the founders of the Arts and Letters Club, an active member of the Canadian Authors' Association, and an elected lay rrerr.ber of the ·Canadian .Art Club. From 1922 to 1933 he served as a Trustee of the National Gallery of canada. As an editor .MacTavish gave early recognition, in The Canadian Magazine, to many noted canadian artists and writers, and actively prorcoted their work arrong his many contacts in business and govem­ ~t. He also contributed articles, essays, and short stories to publications in Canada, the United States, and England, strong nationalism being a frequent hallmark of his w:>rk. Three books written by him were published in his lifetime, Thrown In (1923), The Fine Arts in Canada (1925) , and Ars I.Dnga (1938) • A ~rk entitled Newton MacTavish's Canada was illustrated by his son-in-law, Richard Taylor, and appeared posthurrously (1963) • MacTavish died in 'lbronto on the 17th of August 1941. iii GENERAL DESCRIPrION OF THE NEWIDN MacTAVISH PAPERS The papers in this collection consist of letters written to Newton MacTavish, mainly by Canadian artists and writers active in the first decades of the twentieth century. Many discuss \'X:>rks to be published in The Canadian Magazine. Others have to do with Globe rei;x:>rts and business, personal and artistic experiences, and the purchases and i;x:>licies of the National Gallery. A few i terns are addressed to Mrs. MacTavish or the previous editor of The Canadian Magazine, John Cooper. The collection also includes a n~ of manuscripts and typescripts of poems, essays and reviews by a variety of autlDrs, some newspaper clippings, pamphlets, receipts, photo­ graphs, and a loose collection of autographs, possibly assembled to be used in rviacTavish' s ~rk Ars !Dnga. The collection was acquired by the North York Public Library Canadiana Collection in 1975. Access to it is unrestricted. Transcripts have been made of all the items in the collection. The rnaterial l1as been organized into t\\O series: SERIES I: ARTISTS' Pb.PERS, which includes material by, and occasionally aoout, artists and persons interested in Canadian art; and SERIES II: \'ffi.ITERS ' PAPERS, which includes i terns by and alx>ut novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, and individuals concerned with Canadian literature, history and politics. Each series is organized alphabetically by the auth:>r of the letter, manuscript, pamphlet, etc. The occasional i tern aoout an individual (such as a newspaper clipping), or letter by MacTavish in'response to a letter, is includ~ with the author's letters. for the convenience of the user. At the end of each series is a brief biographical glossary and an index of names in which all items by or about the individual or organization represented in the collection are indicated. 'lbpics such as Newton MacTavish and The Canadian Magazine, however, are so all-pervading that they have not been indexed fully. The researcher is advised to examine the entire collection for these. The collection also includes l::xx:,ks and pamphlets fran Mac'l'avish's library. Some of these have been inscribed by the authors, and ~ have letters tipped in. These have yet to be described and will appear as an appendix to the Finding Aid. iv IDTES ON THE FilID~ AID 1. Items are divided into 0-K> series: SERIES I: ARI'ISfS' PAPERS, papers by and about artists, and SERIES II: WRITERS' PAPERS, papers by and arout w.dters. 2. Items are organized alphabetically by author. 3. All items are letters to Newton MacTavish by the individual under whose narce they have been collected except where otherwise indicated. 4. Actual number of pages used by the author of the i tern is indicated. 5. Each series is follo~ by (i) a glossary giving basic biographical infonna.tion about artists and writers represented in the collection (ii) an index to items written by, or containing pertinent infonnation about, the individual or organization listed. 6. The following abbreviations have been used: A= autograph s = signed T = typed init. = initialled Can. Mag. = The Canadian Magazine SERIES I: ARI'ISTS I PAPERS 2 Ahrens, Carl item no. 3 March 1923 lp (A) l Subject: appreciation of MacTavish's "effort in the recent battle"; preparing to leave Toronto; desires to :rreet MacTavish and Hanm:>nd; n.d. lp (AS) 2 Subject: Mr. Carter a business emissary for Ahrens; Carter will deliver a drawing; Atkinson, William Fdwin [13?] January 1910 2p (AS) 3 Subject: preparing for exhibit at Art Museum, ·Montreal; including Grex>te-Kerke Dort. ; MacTavish has fine block of it which Mr. Clemens \«>uld like to see; preparing for April Art Association Exhibit, funtreal; 3 July [1909 or 1915?] lp (AS) 4 Subject: National Gallery to purchase one of his "WOrks; Beatty, Jolm William 5 DecembP.X 1911 to Mrs. MacTavish 2p (TS) 4.5, 4.6 Subject: painting by Morrice, owned by Mrs. MacTavish which Carnegie Institute wishes to use in an exhibition; 18 December 1936 lp (.AS) 5 Subject: painting; Berthon, George Thecrlore 21 August 1863 copy of a receipt to Mr. F. Collins 6 Browne·,; J. Archibald f16 June 1910] lp (AS) 7 Subject: Browne's enjoyrrent of Paris;with Dyonnet; 16 December 1937 ~ lp (AS) 8 Subject: autograph; Bert lAlbert Williamson?] an outstanding painter; Cassidy, ~o_Eea [? J n.d. lp (AS) 9 Subject: Indian portraits and handicrafts; 3 Chall~~_, Frederick S_Eroston item no. 31 March 1903 postcard (AS) 10 Subject: destruction and repainting of panel in Montreal; success of exhibition; forthcoming R.C.A. Exhibition; l15 March 1905) postcard (AS) 11 Subject: touching up Old Montreal panels; opening of Art Association Exhibition;___ _ 1 October 1905 2p (AS) 12 Subject: travel and sketching in Quebec province; 1 November 1912 2p (AS) 13, 13.5 Subject: Challener gone to Winnipeg; to paint portraits of local mayors; possibility of w::>rk with Royal Alexandra Hotel, Winnipeg; personal; 24 December 1912 3p (AS) 14 Subject: Cullen, Watson and Challener "bringing order out of chaos at new Art Gallery" ; several corcrnissions for :portraits; 23 August 1913 lp (AS) 15 Subject: MacTavish to sell some of Challener' s paintings for him; wants one set of decorative panels kept together; 23 April (1928) lp (AS) 16 Subject: delay in payrrent for Mounted India11 Fighting; no recent sales; his present artistic pursuits; · 24 April 1928 carbon~fran MacTavish to Challener 2p (T) 17, 18 Subject: delay in payment; rroving of Challener's panels in Russell Theatre, Ottawa; Challener • s present \rork; Clemens, Lewis W•. 7 April 1908 2p (AS) 18.5 Subject: MacTavish elected lay nernber of Canadian Art Club; 21 March 1910 receipt 18.6 Subject: J .w. Morrice' s ari.i11:ual fee for b.'1e Canadian Art Club, made out to MacTavish; Colg~~~~l~i_am 24 July 1938 4p (AS) 19 subject: the possibility of MacTavish having offended sore 4 Colgate, William cont'd item no. Canadian artists; maturity and hmrour of Canadian artists; Courtice, Rody Kenny 17 April 1969 To Mrs. MacTavish lp (AS) 20 Subject: appreciation of a visit to Mrs. Mac'I'avish's home and of her collection of Canadian art; Cruikshank, William n.d. clipping lp 21 Subject: a sketch of Cruikshank by himself; Cullen, .Maurice Galbraith 17 January 1912 2p (AS) 22, 22.5 Subject: his life; describes photos of his paintings which MacTavish has, titling them; Des Cl~.Y--=~~Berthe Note: Some letters may be signed D. Des Clayes or Dor Des Clayes but appear to be in the same hand as those signed Berthe. 14 August (1916?] 2p (AS) 23 Subject: her work in print; her bill for some small sketches; 2 January 1917 2p (AS) 24 Subject: drawings being sent to MacTavish; the possibility of illustrating a story; 11 January 1917 2p (AS) 25 Subject: illustration of a story for MacTavish; 25 January [1917?] 2p (AS) 26 Subject: illustration of a story for MacTavish; Alice Des Clayes possibly will oontact MacTavish; 4 February 1917 3p (AS) 27 Subject: illustrations sent to MacTavish & his note; Alice to illustrate a story for ~lacTavish; 11 April [1917?] 8p (AS) 28, 29 Subject: payrrent for sketches for the C.P.R.; request for Macravish's opinion of her \\'Ork; illustrations for a 5 Des Clayes, Berthe cxmt'd item no.