“Outside the Lines” is a new exhibition at the Canadian War Museum, representing 70 works by 52 women artists from the last two centuries.
After interviewing Stacey Barker, PhD. about the new temporary exhibition, we took a guided tour through the permanent collection.
Lo and behold, there are important women artists represented here, too. This permanent representation shows that the War Museum is serious about highlighting women’s perspectives and shining a light on underrepresented voices.
There are 14,000 permanent works in the Canadian War Museum’s Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, so the curators made intentional choices to highlight specific pieces, ensuring representation of women and other historically oppressed groups.
Starting at the beginning
Right in the main expansive lobby of the War Museum hangs a relief, “Noon Hour in a Munitions Plant,” sculpted by Frances Loring in 1918. Together with life-long partner Florence Wyle, the two sculptors got major commissions during the First World War.
Beginning here is poignant and intentional, begging the question—what opportunities did women have 100 years ago and what did their lives look like? Could women artists make a living?
Florence Wyle, Noon Hour in a Munitions Plant, 1918-1919, Bronze, Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, CWM 19710261-0418
How war changed our society
World War One turned Canadian society from the traditional Victorian Era with stereotypical gender roles to one with more equal opportunities. The war needed women to work in industries and factories—they could not stay at home any longer. We can see this shift represented in the war art showcased in “Outside the Lines.” The exhibition visually demonstrates what women did during each war, from making weapons to serving in the navy.
Paraskeva Clark, Maintenance Jobs in the Hangar, 1945, Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, CWM 19710261-5678
Was this newfound change towards equality less about representation and more about necessity and desperation to keep the economy going? How did the women feel about this new work they had to do? Nevertheless, the First World War also gave artists opportunities like never before which the War Museum showcases beautifully.
Beaverbrook War Art Collection
Lord Beaverbrook, whose name was Max Aitken, established the first-ever war art program for Canada. It was called the Canadian War Memorials Fund and it began in 1916. The works from this program form the cornerstone of the Canadian War Museum’s art collection – known as the Beaverbrook Collection of War Art. It is named after Lord Beaverbrook but also to recognize the generous support of the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation. In the decades since, the CWM’s collection has added thousands of pieces of art, all reflecting aspects of war and conflict.
Beaverbrook commissioned painters to go to battlefronts and capture the unfolding scenes. While most of these were men, such as A. Y. Jackson (future Group of Seven), some women participated, too. The final collection included many pieces in several mediums by important women artists. Often forgotten by history, it is refreshing to see the War Museum uncover, curate, and shed light on these valuable works.
Women sculptors of the First World War
At the end of the First World War, both Frances Loring and Florence Wyle were commissioned by the Beaverbrook-supported Canadian War Memorials Fund to document wartime work in Canada. The women were among dozens of artists who created hundreds of pieces for the Fund.
The sculptors created 15 pieces recording the industrial and farm work women and men undertook during this period. If the war hadn’t happened, these extensive art collections wouldn’t exist. Although there was less competition in sculpting compared to male-dominated traditional painting, few women, such as Loring and Wyle, carved out a space for themselves and future generations.
“Outside the Lines” includes two of their bronze figures, representing wartime munitions workers. They are “The Rod Turner” by Frances Loring and “Furnace Man” by Florence Wyle, and they appear in the section devoted to the art of the World Wars.
Frances Loring, The Rod Turner, 1918-1919, Bronze, Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, CWM 19710261-0413
Women painters of the First World War
Despite more competition, women painters made a mark, too. When you turn right after entering the permanent collection, you see multiple larger-than-life paintings on the tall walls of the museum.
One belongs to Laura Knight, an English artist who painted Canadians in the British army camp, representing the leisure activities of the military such as boxing. Knight was the first woman artist to be made a Dame in the British Empire, worked extensively during both World Wars, and paved the way for future female artists.
Laura Knight, Physical Training at Witley Camp, Oil on Canvas, Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, CWM 19710261-0808
Another huge artwork belongs to Anna Airy, who painted the cookhouse at Witley Camp. Far away from trenches and combat, this too was a part of Canada’s war experience. Beaverbrook wanted to document the entire war landscape, not just front-line fighting. Airy was one of the first women officially commissioned as a war artist, setting the stage for future women war artists, such as Molly Lamb Bobak, who is represented in-depth in “Outside the Lines”.
Molly Lamb Bobak, Gas Drill, 1944, Oil on canvas, Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, CWM 19710261-1603
Many First World War works were forgotten and rediscovered later. If your piece wasn’t finished by the end of the war, it would remain unfinished—people didn’t want to be reminded of war anymore. This was Canada’s bloodiest war—more people died than in all of the other Canadian wars. After the First World War ended, Max Aitken donated his entire collection to the people of Canada.
Beyond art, women had already worked in the wars at that time. For example, on this public tour of the permanent gallery, you can learn about Georgina Pope, who was responsible for all Canadian military nurses. She is hailed as Canada’s Florence Nightingale. Continuing the long female nurse tradition, another woman, Lottie Urquhart, won a gallantry medal for her work.
Women and women artists of the Second World War
For the Second World War, the Canadian Government funded a new war art program, called Canadian War Records, planting artists within each branch of the military. The current program, called The Canadian Forces Artists Program, began in 2001 and is similar in nature. The Museum highlights the works of the program’s ninth group, including those who recently went to Ukraine.
Women played a larger role in the Second World War, actively serving in many branches, and working at home. For example, “farmerettes” tended to the fields in the Niagara Peninsula and all over Canada when the men typically doing the labour went off to war. They are represented with a large painting in the museum’s First World War gallery.
Manly Edward MacDonald, Land Girls Hoeing, 1918-1919, Oil on Canvas, Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, CWM 19710261-0370
Meanwhile, Veronica Foster, “The Bren Gun Girl,” became the poster girl for nearly one million Canadian women in the workforce during the Second World War. More specifically, she represented the several hundred thousand women who worked in factories. Around 25% of all war workers were women and during this time they got their own Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC). Women did many of the jobs usually done by men in the military, including working in intelligence and the navy, fixing airplanes, and listening for submarines, with the exception of combat.
Veronica Foster, ‘the Bren Gun Girl,’ 1941, National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque / Library and Archives Canada / PA-119766
The flipside of the Canadian government’s commissioning work during the Second World War is that they hired more men, therefore resulting in less involvement of women’s experiences. This is unfortunate, because the unique thing about women artists and war is that they don’t just show the war and the men, they show the role of women, too.
Despite this, the museum properly represents women and their work during the Canadian wars in both temporary and permanent exhibitions. That’s no easy feat. While the permanent collection provides an overall glance at this important topic, the temporary exhibition digs deeper and highlights specific women artists forgotten by history. This dual perspective is a meaningful way to showcase the impact of gathering these voices together.
Interested in learning more? Check out the Ottawa Art Battle events hosted at the Museum on Friday, September 13th, and on Friday, November 15th, eight artists will compete in creating new artworks inspired by the “Outside the Lines” exhibition, celebrating women war artists.
This article is sponsored by the Canadian War Museum.
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