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| Civil War Surgeon's Presentation Sword circa 1862 for the Federal Army |
SOME ANECDOTES ABOUT NAPOLEON FROM 1822-23 BOOKLETS - FRESH AFTER HIS DEATH IN EXILE
HISTORIANS AND ANTIQUARIANS LIKE THEIR SOURCE MATERIAL TO BE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO ORIGINAL EVENT
PHOTOGRAPHED ABOVE, ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER IMAGES OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR "DRESS" SWORD, I PRESENTED TO YOU, IN YESTERDAY'S BLOG. THE IMAGES INCLUDE THE FEDERAL ARMY SURGEON'S ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH, AND A COLLECTION OF HIS BUTTONS, REMOVED FROM HIS UNIFORM AND GREAT COAT, AND ARRANGED IN A SHADOW BOX FOR DISPLAY. ONE OF OUR CUSTOMERS, OFFERED US A RARE OPPORTUNITY, TO CARRY OUT SOME RESEARCH ON THE ILLINOIS DOCTOR'S SWORD, WITH SCABORD, THAT WAS PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS OF HIS FAMILY. IT WAS A GREAT PRIVILEGE TO HOLD THIS AMAZING PIECE OF AMERICANA, AND LEARN ABOUT WHERE THE SURGEON HAD BEEN STATIONED, FOR MAJOR CIVIL WAR BATTLES, IN THE SOUTH. WITH THE SWORD WAS A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY, WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO ADD TO, OVER A COUPLE OF WEEKS, RESEARCHING HIS REGIMENT ONLINE. THE SWORD AND BUTTONS WILL REMAIN IN THE OWNERSHIP OF THE LOCAL FAMILY. WHAT A GREAT HEIRLOOM COLLECTION FOR A FUTURE GENERATION TO INHERIT.
WHAT INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING, MOST RECENTLY, FROM THE CITIZENS OF THIS COMMUNITY. IN THE PAST WEEK, OVER AND ABOVE THE SUPPLY OF COFFEE AND TEA, BROUGHT IN REGULARLY FOR US, BY KINDLY CUSTOMERS, WE HAVE RECEIVED A FORMER CHURCH ORGAN, BOXES OF VINTAGE VINYL, TWO AND A HALF DOZEN FARM FRESH EGGS, A GOURMET DINNER AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT (FARMER'S PLATE), BOOKS, MAGAZINES, A BRIEFCASE FULL OF VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OUR FRIENDS JUDY AND HUTCH, OF KILWORTHY, BROUGHT IN TWO UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL, WELL CRAFTED WESTERN SHIRTS, THAT HAD BEEN MADE FOR HUTCH, WHEN HE WAS TWELVE YEARS OF AGE; BY A TALENTED LADY THE FAMILY KNEW IN ORILLIA. I'LL SHOW YOU IMAGES OF THE TWO SHIRTS IN TOMORROW'S BLOG. THEY WILL BE PUT ON DISPLAY IN THE SHOP, BECAUSE THEY ARE MAGNIFICENT, AND NEED TO BE CELEBRATED; AND THEY WERE MADE REGIONALLY. THANKS JUDY AND HUTCH FOR THINKING OF US, FOR THESE AMAZING SHIRTS. WE WILL LOOK AFTER THEM WELL. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE RECEIVED NUMEROUS MUSKOKA ITEMS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS TO DISPLAY, IN OUR NEW HISTORICAL RESOURCES COLLECTION, WHICH WE LAUNCHED INFORMALLY LAST WEEK. WE WILL BE ADDING TO THE EXHIBITION OF LOCAL COLLECTABLES, AND NOSTALGIA, IN THE COMING MONTH; AND SHARING MUSKOKA'S HERITAGE WITH OUR VISITORS FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. IT'S TRUE, THAT A MAJORITY OF THE COLLECTION WON'T BE FOR SALE, BUT VIEWING IS FREE OF CHARGE. SUZANNE HAS A LOT OF FAMILY PHOTOS OF WINDERMERE AND LAKE ROSSEAU, THAT SHE IS HAVING ENLARGED FOR THESE DISPLAYS. IN A FUTURE BLOG, WE'LL HIGHLIGHT A REAL TREASURE BROUGHT IN, ON LOAN, ALSO IMPORTANT TO THE HERITAGE OF WINDERMERE. STAY TUNED.
NOW, TALKING ABOUT BOOKS! FIRST EDITIONS ARE A BIG DEAL BECAUSE THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY THE "STARTING POINT". IN THE CASE OF NON-FICTION HISTORIES, THEY ARE USUALLY CLOSE TO THE WORLD, NATIONAL, OR REGIONAL EVENTS, THAT ARE BEING REPORTED AND HIGHLIGHTED IN THE SUBJECT FIRST EDITIONS. THEY ARE USUALLY PRINTED IN LOW NUMBER, TO TEST THE MARKET, AND MANY OF US PREFER WHEN HISTORIES, ESPECIALLY, AREN'T REVISED OR EVEN OVER EDITTED. WE MIGHT CHO0SE TO OWN REVISED COPIES, BECAUSE OF THE NEW INFORMATION ADDED TO THE TEXT, BUT WE WANT THE FIRST EDITION AS WELL. IT HAS HAPPENED, WHEN A PUBLISHER IS FORCED TO REMOVE SOME INFORMATION FROM A TEXT, FOR A REVISED ISSUE. POSSIBLY FOR LEGAL REASONS. IT MIGHT ANGER THE AUTHOR, BUT OCCASIONALLY, OFFENSIVE MATERIAL OR NAMES ARE ORDERED REMOVED, ON ALL FUTURE RE-ISSUES OF A BOOK. SO JUST IN CASE, A FEW OF US IN THE HISTORY PROFESSION, WANT THE UNCENSORED VERSION, AS A MAINSTAY, BUT WON'T SAY NO TO A REVISED ISSUE, IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT; JUST SO THAT WE KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN OUR AREA OF EXPERTISE, WHAT WAS CHANGED IN REPRINTED COPIES, FROM THE ORIGINAL, AND WHY IT WAS ALTERED IN THE FIRST PLACE. WE DON'T BUY ABRIDGED VERSIONS OF ANYTHING. THERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT, ABOUT HOLDING A FIRST AND LIMITED EDITION, OF A MAJOR WORK; ESPECIALLY IF IT WENT ON FROM THAT FIRST RELEASE, TO HAVING TWENTY OR THIRTY EDITIONS THAT FOLLOWED.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE ORIGINAL BOOK, WRITTEN BY WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, ENTITLED "GRAVENHURST, OR THOUGHTS ON GOOD AND EVIL," WAS PUBLISHED IN ENGLAND, IN THE LATE 1850'S; RELEASED ABROAD IN THE EARLY 1860'S. (AND YES, THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST, ONTARIO, WAS NAMED AFTER THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK). WHEN SUZANNE AND I DECIDED TO BUY A COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION, TO DONATE BACK TO THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST, AND THE ARCHIVES COMMITTEE, IT WAS RECOMMENDED, BY AN AMERICAN RARE BOOK DEALER, THAT FOR ARCHIVE'S USE, THE FIRST EDITION WASN'T NECESSARILY THE BEST CHOICE. A LATER, REVISED EDITION, OF THE SAME BOOK, SOME TIME LATER, CONTAINED A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE WRITTEN BY THE AUTHOR'S WIFE, THAT CONTAINED A SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITY OF PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED FOR THE ARCHIVE'S COMMITTEE, SO THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE BRITISH POET / PHILOSOPHER; WHO UP TO THE TURN OF THIS NEW CENTURY, HAD BEEN KNOWN BUT NOT THOROUGHLY UNDERSTOOD. (SMITH'S BOOK IS STILL BEING REPRINTED TODAY, AND YOU CAN READ IT ONLINE, VIA GOOGLEBOOKS). POINT IS, SOMETIMES A SECOND AND REVISED ISSUE, CAN BE MORE RELEVANT AND USEFUL THAN THE FIRST EDITION.
THE NEW NAPOLEON?
AS THE MILITARY ACTIONS AND RE-ACTIONS ALONG THE BORDER OF UKRAINE, BECOME MORE AGGRESSIVE AND DEADLY EVERY DAY, AS A RESULT OF PRO-RUSSIAN ACTIVISTS, AND RUSSIAN AGITATORS, THE EYES OF THE WORLD ARE KEENLY FOCUSED ON THE BUILD-UP, OF, WHAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN NOW, AS ENEMY FORCES PREPARING TO INVADE. THIS ISN'T A REGIONAL CONFLICT ANY MORE. IT IS A GLOBAL EVENT. NATO FORCES IN THE AREA, AND ALLIED SHIPS IN THE BLACK SEA, ARE PREPARED TO REACT TO TROOP MOVEMENTS AND AIR ATTACKS IN THE UKRAINE. THE RUSSIANS, DESPITE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, AND THE BUILDING MILITARY ASSETS OF NATO FORCES, IN ROMANIA AND POLAND, HAVEN'T DAMPENED THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENCY'S INTEREST IN EASTERN UKRAINE; ALTHOUGH AS OF YET, THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING TO PARALLEL THIS SPRING'S INVASION AND ANNEXATION, OF THE CRIMEA. ALL PRETTY UPSETTING, TO MOST OF US FREEDOM-LOVERS, WHO HAVE ALREADY HAD SOME EXPERIENCE IN THE CLIMATE OF POLITICAL "COLD WAR." AT ANY MOMENT, SHOTS COULD BE TRADED BETWEEN WORLD SUPER-POWERS. WHAT IS RUSSIA UP TO? DO THEY REALLY BELIEVE, THEY CAN INVADE ANOTHER COUNTRY, IN THIS NEW AGE, AND NOT FACE MILITARY OPPOSITION? DOES THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT WISH TO START WORLD WAR III? REMINDS ME OF A COLORFUL FELLOW BY THE NAME OF NAPOLEON. JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE THE BOOKS WITH ME TODAY, TO PULL A FEW ANECDOTES FROM THE NOTES OF THE 1820'S, TO ILLUSTRATE A FEW POINTS ABOUT WAR AND CONQUEST. AND, WELL, BAD, BAD JUDGEMENT!
"THE FOLLOWING ANECDOTES WERE PRINCIPALLY SELECTED FROM THE PORTFOLIO OF A GENTLEMAN WHO RESIDED IN FRANCE FOR SEVERAL YEARS PREVIOUS TO THE SECOND RETURN OF LOUIS XVIII, TO THE LAND OF HIS BIRTH. HAVING BEEN NOTED DOWN IMMEDIATELY AS RELATED, OR AS THE OCCURRENCES TOOK PLACE, THEY MAY BE RELIED ON FOR ORIGINALITY, CORRECTNESS, AND IMPARTIALITY; AND AS THE FIRST NARRATORS WERE PERSONS WHO, GENERALLY, HELD HIGH AND RESPONSIBLE SITUATIONS, BOTH CIVIL AND MILITARY, UNDER THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON, THE READER WILL BE ABLE TO FORM A MORE JUST ESTIMATE, OF THE MIND AND POLICY, OF THAT GREAT AND EXTRAORDINARY MAN, THAN HE HAS HITHERTO BEEN ABLE TO DO FROM THE MANY CONTRADICTORY REPORTS AND FALSEHOODS, WHICH, DURING HIS LIFE, WERE CIRCULATED THROUGHOUT ENGLAND, AND OTHER COUNTRIES, RESPECTING HIM.
"IN ORDER TO RENDER THIS COLLECTION AS COMPLETE AS POSSIBLE, THE EDITOR HAS LIKEWISE SELECTED, FROM RARE AND POPULAR WORKS, THOSE INTERESTING ANECDOTES AND PASSAGES WHICH TEND TO DEVELOP THE INTRIGUES, AND ILLUSTRATE THE INTENTIONS OF THE VARIOUS COURTS OF EUROPE, TOWARDS FRANCE AND HER RULERS, FOR THE LAST THIRTY YEARS; SO THAT THE NAPOLEON ANECDOTES WILL FORM A COMPLETE CABINET OF WHAT IS INTERESTING IN THE LIFE OF THE LATE EMPEROR OF FRANCE, AND IN THE POLITICS OF EUROPE, FROM THE PERIOD WHEN HE FIRST DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF IN THE ARMS OF MILITARY GLORY, TO THE TERMINATION OF HIS MORTAL CAREER AT ST. HELENS."
THE ABOVE PASSAGES WERE COMPOSED, IN LONDON, ENGLAND, ON OCTOBER, 8TH, 1822, IN THE TEXT OF "THE NAPOLEON ANECDOTES, ILLUSTRATING THE MENTAL ENERGIES OF THE LATE EMPEROR OF FRANCE, AND THE CHARACTERS AND ACTIONS OR HIS CONTEMPORARY STATESMEN AND WARRIORS," BY W.H. IRELAND. I HAVE VOLUMES ONE AND TWO, FROM 1822 AND 1823. I PURCHASED BOTH BOOKS A THRIFT SHOP AUCTION HERE IN GRAVENHURST. I HAVE TO TELL YOU, IT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE HOLDING THESE TWO TINY BOOKS, RELEASED SHORTLY AFTER NAPOLEON'S DEATH IN EXILE (MAY 5TH, 1821). IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE HISTORICALLY INCLINED (I SUPPOSE YOU MUST BE, TO READ THESE BLOGS), IMAGINE THE CHARACTER OF OUR WORLD IN 1822. WASHINGTON IRVING, HAD JUST PUBLISHED HIS SECOND BOOK OF SHORT STORIES, WHICH WOULD BECOME LEGENDARY; "THE SKETCH BOOK, " AND "BRACEBRIDGE HALL," (AND YES, THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO, WAS NAMED AFTER IRVING'S SECOND BOOK).
IN BOOK ONE, RELEASED A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER NAPOLEON'S DEATH, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS RELATED TO THE PUBLIC, STILL FASCINATED BY THE FORMER EMPEROR AND HIS EXPLOITS: (IF YOU ARCHIVE BACK IN THESE BLOGS, TWO DAYS, YOU CAN SEE THREE EXAMPLES OF THE GRAPHICS USED IN THESE ORIGINAL, FIRST EDITIONS.
"IN DEDICATING THE FOLLOWING ANECDOTES OF THE LIFE OF NAPOLEON TO HIS BELOVED AND ONLY SON, THE EDITOR FEELS HIMSELF ACTUATED BY THE MOST DISINTERESTED MOTIVES. IT WAS THE ARDENT WISH OF YOUR LAMENTED SIRE TO SUPERINTEND THE EDUCATION OF THE HEIR APPARENT TO HIS GLORIES AND HIS THRONE. THIS SENTIMENT HE, MORE THAN ONCE, EXPRESSED TO HIS ASSEMBLED SENATE. BUT ALL GOOD MEN HAVE SINCE HAD TO DEPLORE THAT THE POLICY OF THE CONTINENTAL SOVEREIGNS HAS FRUSTRATED THIS NOBLE MINDED DESIGN. HAD NAPOLEON BEEN THE TUTOR OF HIS SON, HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, WOULD, DOUBTLESS HAVE POINTED OUT, FOR HIS EARLIEST IMITATION, THOSE ILLUSTRIOUS CHARACTERS OF ANTIQUITY, WHOSE TALENTS AND VIRTUES, AND EVEN WHOSE GRANDEST DESIGNS AND MOST MAGNIFICENT ACHIEVEMENTS, BOTH CIVIL AND MILITARY, HE, HIMSELF, HAD EIVDENTLY SURPASSED. HE WOULD THEN HAVE CLOSED THE PAGE OF HISTORY, AND, DIRECTING THE EXPANDED UNDERSTANDING OF HIS BELOVED PUPIL, TO THE SCENES OF MODERN TIMES, WOULD HAVE OPENED TO HIM HIS OWN VIEWS AND SENTIMENTS, AND TAUGHT HIM HOW TO PROFIT BY EXPERIENCE OF THE PAST. HE WOULD HAVE INSTILLED INTO HIS YOUTHFUL MIND, THE PROPRIETY OF SELECTING WORTHY COUNSELLORS, AND INCLUDED THE NECESSITY OF DEDICATING HIS FUTURE EXISTENCE, TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF FRANCE, AND TO THE PROMOTION OF THE INTERESTS OF HER PEOPLE. SUCH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE VIEWS AND PLAN OF THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON, IN THE EDUCATION OF HIS DARLING SON; BUT HIS HOPES HAVE BEEN BLASTED BY INGRATITUDE, BY TREASON, AND BY NARROW MINDED POLICY.
"TO SUPPLY, IN A SMALL DEGREE, THE WANT OF OPPORTUNITY, ON THE PART OF THE EMPRESS OF EXHIBITING TO THE MIND OF OUR HIGHNESS, THE PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF HIS OWN LIFE AND POLICY, THE FOLLOWING ANECDOTES WERE COMPILED. HAVING BEEN SELECTED WITH A STRICT REGARD TO TRUTH AND IMPARTIALITY, IT IS CONFIDENTLY HOPED THAT A PERUSAL OF THEM WILL SERVE TO DISPEL THE MISTS OF SUPERSTITION WHICH ARE SAID TO BECLOUD THE ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH YOU ARE, BY DESTINY, COMPELLED TO MOVE; THAT THEY WILL ENABLE YOU TO BURST THE FETTERS OF LEGITIMATE POLICY; AND THAT, BY BEHOLDING, AS IN A MIRROR, THE GRAND BUT INTERESTING FEATURES OF THE MAGNANIMOUS NAPOLEON, YOUR HIGHNESS MAY START FROM THE DAY-DREAM OF JUVENILE APATHY, AND PROVE YOURSELF TO THE WORLD A WORTHY SCION OF THE IMMORTAL STOCK FROM WHICH YOU HAVE SPRUNG."
THE OPENING OF THE MAIN TEXT OF THE BOOK, BEGINS AS FOLLOWS: DURING THE PERIOD WHEN THIS EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTER WAS A STUDENT AT THE ROYAL MILITARY SEMINARY, AT PARIS, AS HE WAS ONE DAY UNDERGOING AN EXAMINATION, BY A GENERAL OFFICER, WHO WENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF INSPECTING THAT ESTABLISHMENT, NAPOLEON REPLIED TO ALL THE QUESTIONS PROPOSED, WITH SO MUCH PRECISION, ACCOMPANIED BY SUCH A DEPTH OF PENETRATION, THAT THE GENERAL, THE PROFESSORS, AND THE STUDENTS WERE COMPLETELY ASTONISHED. AT LENGTH, IN ORDER TO BRING HIS INTERROGATORIES TO A CLOSE, THE FOLLOWING QUESTION WAS PROPOSED TO THE YOUTH. 'WHAT LINE OF CONDUCT SHOULD YOU BE LED TO ADOPT, IN CASE YOU WERE BESIEGED IN A FORTIFIED PLACE, AND WAS DESTITUTE OF PROVISION?' 'SO LONG AS THERE WERE ANY IN THE CAMP OF THE ENEMY, I SHOULD NEVER BE AT GREAT LOSS FOR A SUPPLY,' WAS THE ANSWER OF THE YOUNG STUDENT, WITHOUT THE SMALLEST HESITATION. THESE EMPHATIC WORDS SEEMED THE PROGNOSTIC OF HIS FUTURE FORTUNES."
THE AUTHOR / HISTORIAN WRITES, "UPON BONAPART'S ADVANCE, TO THE DISTINGUISHED RANK OF GENERAL IN CHIEF OF THE ARMY OF ITALY, HE CONTEMPLATED WITH PAIN THE DESTITUTE SITUATION OF HIS SOLDIERS, WHO WERE IN WANT OF EVERY COMFORT THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF ANY ARMY; AND IT WAS WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY THAT HE WAS ENABLED TO RESTORE ORDER THROUGHOUT THE RANKS; ADDED TO WHICH THE BAD POSITIONS, OCCUPIED BY HIS FORCES, CAUSED A FREQUENT SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS, SO THAT THE GENERAL PLAINLY PERCEIVED THAT THE ONLY MEANS LEFT OF VICTUALLING HIS DISCOURAGED BATTALIONS WERE, NOT ONLY TO RISK A GENERAL ENGAGEMENT, BUT TO SECURE THE VICTORY. UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, NAPOLEON BEGAN BY INSPIRING HIS WARRIORS WITH THAT CONFIDENCE IN THEIR COMMANDER WHICH AN ARMY SHOULD FEEL THAT IS BEST UPON REQUEST. TO EFFECT THIS DESIRABLE OBJECT, BOUNAPARTE EMPLOYED ALL THAT ENERGY OF CHARACTER AND DECISION FOR WHICH HE WAS SO JUSTLY FAMED, AND MARSHALLED HIS LEGIONS WITH SUCH CONSUMMATE GENERALSHIP THAT ALTHOUGH THE ENEMY NUMBERED DOUBLE HIS FORCE, HE OBLIGED HIM TO ACCEPT THE BOTTLE. NAPOLEON, FULL AWARE THAT THE WHOLE RESULT OF THE CAMPAIGN DEPENDED UPON THE FATE OF THIS ACTION, AS BY DEFEATING THE AUSTRIANS, HE SHOULD BECOME MASTER OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY, AND THAT THE ENORMOUS MAGAZINES OF HIS OPPONENTS WOULD THEREBY FALL INTO THE CONQUEROR'S HANDS, HAD RECOURSE IN THE ENSUING VIGOROUS, BUT LACONIC ADDRESS TO HIS TROOPS A FEW MINUTES PRIOR TO THE GENERAL ONSET.
"FRENCHMAN, HERE IS STARVATION; THERE IS THE ENEMY, AND BEYOND HIM, PLENTY! MARCH!' THE SAME NIGHT THESE DEFENDERS OF THE THEN FRENCH REPUBLIC, WERE IN POSSESSION OF EVERY COMFORT, AND THIS WAS OBLITERATED FROM THEIR MINDS THE RECOLLECTION OF ALL FORMER PRIVATIONS."
ALTHOUGH THE SMALL FORMAT BOOKS ARE NOT IN GOOD CONDITION, AND ARE, IN FACT, MISSING PORTIONS OF THEIR COVERS, THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN, IS PRECIOUS TO HISTORIANS LIKE ME; WHO SALIVATE IN THE THRILL OF OPENING HISTORIC FIRST EDITIONS, FOR WHAT THEY POSSESS, OF EVENTS, THAT AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION, WERE STILL CLEAR IN THE MINDS OF THE CITIZENRY MOST SERIOUSLY IMPACTED. IN THIS CASE, A EUROPEAN WAR, OF EPIC PROPORTION. WHAT POWERFUL EDITORIAL MATERIAL IS CONTAINED WITHIN, THESE BROKEN COVERS OF ONCE!
NOTE: THIS WAS A BLOG FROM DECEMBER 2011 THAT FITS THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE PROJECT ACTUALLY BEING APPROVED:
AS OF THIS AFTERNOON, MAY 2, 2014, I RECEIVED SOME WONDERFUL PRINTS CREATED BY FRANK JOHNSTON FORMERLY OF GRAVENHURST FOR USE IN THIS BLOG. I HOPE TO GET SOME MORE COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY REGARDING SOME OF THESE FAMILIAR IMAGES. NEXT WEEK I WILL BEGIN REPUBLISHING THE IMAGES DAILY. THANKS TO FRANK'S NEPHEW BRUCE JOHNSTON FOR MAKING THESE AVAILABLE TO ME, AND OF COURSE, TO YOU.
IT WAS JUST OVER TWO WEEKS AGO TODAY, THAT I ASKED SUZANNE (MY RESEARCH PARTNER) IF SHE COULD DO AN ONLINE SEARCH FOR A FORMER GRAVENHURST ARTIST, WHO HAD ONCE DONE MY PORTRAIT. FOR THE PURPOSES OF SOME INTERESTING HISTORICAL BLOGS, FOR THIS WINTER, I WANTED TO DO SOME BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL WORK ON CANADIAN PRINT-MAKING LEGEND, AND AMAZING WATERCOLORIST, FRANK JOHNSTON. IF YOU'VE BEEN IN MUSKOKA FOR THIRTY OR SO YEARS, YOU'VE PROBABLY COME UPON HIS NAME OR ART IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER….FROM LARGE PRINT DEPICTIONS OF OUR HISTORIC BUILDINGS OR TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY SCENES ON GREETING CARDS. I FIRST GOT TO KNOW FRANK'S WORK, WHEN WE'D GO, AS A YOUNG FAMILY, TO GRAVENHURST'S SLOAN'S RESTAURANT, ON MUSKOKA ROAD, WHERE NUMEROUS LARGE FORMAT WATERCOLORS HUNG, PROFILING MANY OF THE FAMED MUSKOKA LAKES STEAMSHIPS. THEY WERE MAGNIFICENT AND COMPELLING, AND ONE OF THE REASONS ANDREW, IN HIS EARLY YEARS, BECAME A STEAMSHIP FANATIC. HE COPIED FRANK'S WORK BUT IN LEGO INSTEAD OF PAINTS. BUT THE PRESENCE OF THOSE PAINTINGS, GAVE SLOANS AN AMAZING AMBIENCE TO LOCALS AND VISITORS. IT WAS A PLEASANT PLACE TO SIP A COFFEE AND HAVE SOME OF THEIR FAMOUS BLUEBERRY PIE…..AND GLANCE LONGINGLY AT THOSE COLORFUL PAINTINGS BY AN ARTIST FEW KNEW MUCH ABOUT.
MY FIRST INTRODUCTION TO FRANK JOHNSTON, WAS WHEN HE SKETCHED MY PORTRAIT, FOR A NEW COLUMN I WAS WRITING FOR THE FLEDGLING LOCAL PUBLICATION, "MUSKOKA TODAY," RUN BY THE CLAIRMONT BOYS, HUGH AND MARK. THE COLUMN WAS HEADED "HOMETOWN ADVANTAGE," AND HOW PLEASED I WAS THAT FRANK REPRESENTED ME SO HANDSOMELY. A TOUGH TASK. I LOVED THAT SKETCH. FRANK HAD DONE IT FOR ALL THE WRITERS THEN, AS A FAVOR TO HIS OLD FRIEND HUGH, ONE OF GRAVENHURST'S MOST POPULAR TRUMPET PLAYING COLUMNISTS.
I STILL DIDN'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT FRANK AT THIS POINT, OTHER THAN I WANTED TO OWN EVERY ORIGINAL WORK HE EVER PAINTED.
In fact, it wasn't until long after his demise that I quite accidentally picked up a biography of Canadian artist Harold Town, one of the Group of Eleven painters of the 1950's, that had been written by a close friend, author Iris Nowell. The book is titled "Hot Breakfast for Sparrows," referring to what Town's father used to say, when the horsedrawn delivery cart passed their family home……suggesting the birds would soon be benefitting from what had been left behind. I've long been a follower of Harold Town's work, and as a kid, I used to watch him as a frequent guest of Lunchtime with Elwood Glover, and it was always interesting when columnist Paul Rimstead was booked as a guest at the same time. (Rimstead had gone to Bracebridge High School.) Both were practical jokers and Elwood had his hands full……if I remember correctly, pies in the face were a regular occurrence. Back to point, while reading the book, I kept coming across the name of print maker, Frank Johnston, without really putting our artist, and Harold Town together, until I saw a black and white image showing the both of them, and I knew it was the same chap who had so capably made my face look human. It was referenced in the book, that Town considered Frank Johnston one of the finest print makers in Canada. When you read about Town, you'll appreciate just what kind of man Johnston had to be…..on two levels, not to strangle him. One as a persnickety, attention to detail print maker, and the other as a patient, level-headed, compassionate partner in the process. Town was, by all accounts, almost inhumane about those who dealt with his art work……whether on the printing press, or hanging it for an exhibit. For Johnston, it nearly drove him nuts, because Town seemed to be able to find the most minute flaw…..and force another round of adjustments before a full run of copies could be made. There were plenty of arguments, and although some observers might have felt a fisticuff was about to occur, the professionals worked it out, to make exceptional products.
And it was common to find both Johnston and Town, and other celebrity guests, like art historian David Silcox, out on the printmakers sailboat, the "Cara Mia," that he stored at the side of his Hughson Street house for years. There are a few references to these party-outings on the Cara Mia, in Iris Nowell's book. By the way, Silcox and Town were co-authors of the landmark biography, "Tom Thomson; Silence and The Storm," published in the early 1970's.
As for the online search for information on Frank Johnston, it is dominated by information on Group of Seven, founding artist, Franz (Frank) Johnston, who also had a family connection in Muskoka. I began looking through boxes of archives material, trying to find one of about twenty print images I own, made but not signed by the artist. In two weeks I tore into about thirty boxes, with no result. I won't say I'd given up, but certainly decided to give myself a little wiggle-room to do the blog on his work. What was possibly the strangest aspect of the past several weeks, was that something told me my luck was about to turn. Seeing as I'm always working on paranormal stories, and research, it's not uncommon to get this feeling of impending discovery. It does happen, that if I seek something hard enough, eventually the log-jam breaks, and there's a flood of connected materials to satisfy my needs. But it's how these finds are made that's quite unusual. I'll have books fall off a shelf by themselves, that are the ones I'm looking for. I don't argue with the ghost librarian. I get what I need. End of story.
Yesterday afternoon, Suzanne and I were antique hunting in Muskoka, as we have done every weekend since we got married in the mid 1980's. In a Bracebridge antique shop, (second hand items as well), I had exhausted my search, and was just about to ask Suzanne if she'd found anything we couldn't live without…..and that if not, I was ready to move on to the next shop down the line. I made one last turn of an aisle, looked down, and sitting on a little dresser was my holy grail for the year. My Christmas present. It was a small, handsomely framed Frank Johnston print, featuring a train pulled into the Gravenhurst Train Station, circa 1987, in the midst of a winter snowfall. Best of all, it was titled and signed by Johnston himself…..with a bonus biography adhered to the back. I would have paid quadruple the asking price for that important piece of Frank Johnston art. Now here's the coincidence…..whether any Christmas spirits were involved….well, that depends on whether you believe in stuff like this. Not only was I actively searching for some biographical material, as well as a print to use in this blog, in one purchase I got both. Even before I got into that shop, I was still trying to think where I might have stashed some of this greeting cards in the house. And add to this, the fact that on at least three occasions this week, I wrote about trains in my respective hometowns (in the winter)……Bracebridge, while growing up, Gravenhurst ever since. Now considering the deep immersion in the quest for Johnston, and the huge whacks of copy written about my life with trains here in South Muskoka (blog entries this week), it's more than a little unusual that I would find it all in one shop, on one dresser-top, and all inclusive on one piece of art. In a second blog, tomorrow, I would like to re-print Frank's own biography, on the back of the small art piece, for future reference.
The story of the steamship art from Sloans is a long story, and I only know a small portion of it…….disallowing me any kind of expertise to provide appropriate, factual enlightenment. I do know that the artist was not a happy camper, when he learned the paintings had been sold to a Huntsville institution…..as it was understood by him, that if the paintings were ever removed from the restaurant, for any number of reasons, the Town of Gravenhurst would become stewards of the small collection. This didn't happen, and to the best of my knowledge, feelings between the town and artist never healed…..and may have never even been addressed, as a matter of protocol, to a well known artist who had served the cause of history and culture so well, for so many years. He moved away, and spent the final years of his life in Picton, Ontario to be closer to family. I stand to be corrected, and would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows more about the life and times of Frank Johnston…..that I could use to provide a clearer biography of a truly fascinating man.
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