Lot 45
Canada (Quebec)
Albums of watercolours & sketches by Eveline M. Alexander (1821-1906), including Indigenous peoples
Auction: The Library of General Sir James Alexander | Wed 25 February from 10am | Lots 31 to 62
Description
Oblong folio (24 x 29cm), dark blue skiver, gilt-lettered ‘E .M. A. Westerton’ on front board, containing 6 watercolours and 6 pen-and-ink sketches (each approx. 21 x 28cm, except one in circular form, diameter 22cm; corner-mounted to rectos), all but one with manuscript caption to mounts or sketch, subjects including ‘Road to Monklands, Montreal’, ‘Lachene, ‘Clearing snow from the streets of Montreal’, ‘Avalanche in Notre Dame Street, Montreal’, ‘Carting ice on the St Laurence [sic], Canada’, a similar scene of a horse-drawn hayrick and sled on ice, ‘Near Mile end, Montreal’, ‘Montreal from the Mile end Toll’, ‘Bout de Lisle from the Bridge above the Rivière des Prairies’, ‘St Anne from the Channel’, ‘Fort Lenneville’, and ‘St Genevieve’, manuscript title ‘Canadian Sketches etc. by E. M. Alexander 1850’ within pasted-down watercolour design of maple leaves to first leaf. With approx. 25 additional watercolours and pen-and-ink sketches, loosely inserted, including 4 watercolours of Indigenous Canadians, i.e. a male warrior bearing a bow and arrow (25.2 x 17.4cm, captioned ‘Charlos, Lorette, W. Quebec, Canada’), a seated woman (25.5 x 17.4cm), and a young boy with boy and arrow (16 x 13.5cm, captioned ‘Lorette, E.M.A’, and a scene of Indigenous riverside encampment with a European settlement on the opposite shore (oval-form, 13.5 x 22cm), views of Lake Massawippi and Lake Memphremagog, botanical subjects, etc, loss to spine.
together with another album, oblong folio (22.5 x 29.5cm), half skiver, with gilt morocco label reading ‘Studies by Stubbs, Sir J. E. Alexander, A. D. C.’ to front board, binder’s ticket of R. & A. Miller of Montreal, containing approx. 20 watercolours and a few pencil sketches (including a pencil sketch of Mount Alexander on the Miramichi River), one leaf loose, one picture detached from mount (2)
Provenance
THE LIBRARY OF GENERAL SIR JAMES EDWARD ALEXANDER (1803-1885)
Footnote
Eveline