Walter Seymour Allward
Encyclopedia
Walter Seymour Allward was a Canadian
monumental sculptor
.
, the son of John A. Allward of Newfoundland
. Educated in Toronto public schools, his first job was at the age of 14 as an assistant to his carpenter father. Allward first served an apprenticeship with the architectural firm Gibson and Simpson before working at the Don Valley Brick Works
, where he modelled architectural ornaments. There he showed skill in clay mold making. This early training, supplemented by modelling classes at the New Technical School, prepared Allward for his lifelong career as a monumental sculptor.
commissioned by the Independent Order of Foresters for the opening of the Temple Building in Toronto (1899) and the Old Soldier, commemorating the War of 1812
in Toronto's Portland Square (now Victoria Memorial Square
) (1903). Also in 1903, Allward was elected an associate of the Royal Canadian Academy and in 1918 became a full academician. Now well established he received commissions to do busts of Lord Tennyson, Sir Charles Tupper
, Sir Wilfrid Laurier
and others. On the grounds of Queen’s Park are statues of General John Graves Simcoe
and Sir Oliver Mowat
, completed in 1903 and 1905 respectively.
, Ontario
(1906), the South African War Memorial
in Toronto (1910), The Baldwin-Lafontaine Monument on Parliament Hill
in Ottawa
(1914) and the Bell Memorial
commemorating Alexander Graham Bell
's invention of telephone in Brantford, Ontario
(1917). Allward had also completed design work on a memorial to King Edward VII
but the onset of the World War I prevented its completion. The figures of Veritas (Truth) and Justicia (Justice) were cast in bronze for the memorial. They were found in their crates in 1969 buried under a parking lot, and in 1970 were installed outside the Supreme Court of Canada
in Ottawa. Allward also designed numerous municipal cenotaph
s around the country, including the Stratford Memorial (1922), the Peterborough Memorial (1929) and the Brant War Memorial (1933).
eventually selected Vimy Ridge as the location for the memorial, due largely to its elevation above the plain below, as the preferred site of Allward's design. In June 1922, Allward set up a studio in London
, England
and toured for more almost two years to find a find a stone of the right colour, texture, and luminosity for the memorial. He eventually found it in the ruins of Diocletian's Palace
. Known as Seget limestone, it was a stone that came from an ancient Roman quarry located in Croatia
. As a consequence, the stone had to be first quarried then shipped by boat to France and then transported to Vimy Ridge by truck and by rail.
Allward chose a relatively new construction method, a cast concrete frame to which the limestone was bonded. The memorial base and twin pylons contain almost 6,000 tonnes of Seget limestone. The 20 sculptured figures which grace the memorial were actually carved where they now stand, from the huge blocks of stone. The carvers used half-size plaster models produced by Allward in his studio and an instrument called a pantograph
to reproduce the huge figures to the proper scale. All this work was carried out inside temporary studios built around each figure, including those at the top of the pylons.
, who in turn gifted some to his protégé Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook
. Today some of those tools are being used by Canadian sculptor Christian Cardell Corbet
as gifted to him by his mentor Bradford Holbrook.
He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
.
He is a character in Jane Urquhart
's book The Stone Carvers
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
monumental sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
.
Early life
Allward was born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, the son of John A. Allward of Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. Educated in Toronto public schools, his first job was at the age of 14 as an assistant to his carpenter father. Allward first served an apprenticeship with the architectural firm Gibson and Simpson before working at the Don Valley Brick Works
Don Valley Brick Works
The Don Valley Brick Works also known as Evergreen Brickworks is a former quarry and industrial site located in the Don River valley in Toronto, Ontario. Currently the buildings sit mostly unused while the quarry has been converted into a city park which includes a series of naturalized ponds...
, where he modelled architectural ornaments. There he showed skill in clay mold making. This early training, supplemented by modelling classes at the New Technical School, prepared Allward for his lifelong career as a monumental sculptor.
Early work
Allward's first commission was for the figure of Peace on the Memorial of the Battles in the North-West (1895) in Queen's Park, Toronto. Other early works included a life-sized figure of Dr OronhyatekhaOronhyatekha
Oronhyatekha , , was a Mohawk physician, scholar, and a unique figure in the history of British colonialism...
commissioned by the Independent Order of Foresters for the opening of the Temple Building in Toronto (1899) and the Old Soldier, commemorating the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
in Toronto's Portland Square (now Victoria Memorial Square
Victoria Memorial Square
Victoria Memorial Square is a park and former cemetery in Toronto, Canada. Established in 1763 as the burial place for those affiliated with the nearby Fort York, it was the first cemetery to be used by European settlers in what would become the city of Toronto...
) (1903). Also in 1903, Allward was elected an associate of the Royal Canadian Academy and in 1918 became a full academician. Now well established he received commissions to do busts of Lord Tennyson, Sir Charles Tupper
Charles Tupper
Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, GCMG, CB, PC was a Canadian father of Confederation: as the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led Nova Scotia into Confederation. He later went on to serve as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada, sworn in to office on May 1, 1896, seven days after...
, Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
and others. On the grounds of Queen’s Park are statues of General John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
and Sir Oliver Mowat
Oliver Mowat
Sir Oliver Mowat, was a Canadian politician, and the third Premier of Ontario from 1872 to 1896, making him the longest serving premier of that province and the 3rd longest in all of Canadian history...
, completed in 1903 and 1905 respectively.
Heroic monuments
Allward's true talent lay in his heroic monuments. These included the design work for the Boer War Memorial Fountain in WindsorWindsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(1906), the South African War Memorial
South African War Memorial (Toronto)
The South African War Memorial is a memorial located at University Avenue and Queen Street West in Toronto.Commissioned in 1910, largely as the result of the efforts of James Mason, and designed by Walter Seymour Allward to commemorate Canada's participation in the Boer War, it consists of three...
in Toronto (1910), The Baldwin-Lafontaine Monument on Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
(1914) and the Bell Memorial
Bell Telephone Memorial
The Bell Telephone Memorial is a monument commemorating the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1874 at his parent's home in Brantford, Ontario.- History :...
commemorating Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
's invention of telephone in Brantford, Ontario
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
(1917). Allward had also completed design work on a memorial to King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
but the onset of the World War I prevented its completion. The figures of Veritas (Truth) and Justicia (Justice) were cast in bronze for the memorial. They were found in their crates in 1969 buried under a parking lot, and in 1970 were installed outside the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
in Ottawa. Allward also designed numerous municipal cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
s around the country, including the Stratford Memorial (1922), the Peterborough Memorial (1929) and the Brant War Memorial (1933).
Vimy Memorial
The most important and famous commission Allward received was for the monument to commemorate Canadians killed in the First World War, a project which would occupy him from 1921 till the memorial's unveiling in 1936. Allward made 150 design sketches before submitting the design which won the commission from the Canadian federal government. The Canadian Battlefields Memorials CommissionCanadian Battlefields Memorials Commission
The Canadian Battlefields Memorials Commission was a special commission established by the House of Commons of Canada, on the recommendations of the British Battle Exploits Memorials Committee...
eventually selected Vimy Ridge as the location for the memorial, due largely to its elevation above the plain below, as the preferred site of Allward's design. In June 1922, Allward set up a studio in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and toured for more almost two years to find a find a stone of the right colour, texture, and luminosity for the memorial. He eventually found it in the ruins of Diocletian's Palace
Diocletian's Palace
Diocletian's Palace is a building in Split, Croatia, that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD.Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from...
. Known as Seget limestone, it was a stone that came from an ancient Roman quarry located in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. As a consequence, the stone had to be first quarried then shipped by boat to France and then transported to Vimy Ridge by truck and by rail.
Allward chose a relatively new construction method, a cast concrete frame to which the limestone was bonded. The memorial base and twin pylons contain almost 6,000 tonnes of Seget limestone. The 20 sculptured figures which grace the memorial were actually carved where they now stand, from the huge blocks of stone. The carvers used half-size plaster models produced by Allward in his studio and an instrument called a pantograph
Pantograph
A pantograph is a mechanical linkage connected in a special manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen...
to reproduce the huge figures to the proper scale. All this work was carried out inside temporary studios built around each figure, including those at the top of the pylons.
Works
| Work | Date | Location | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peace (North-West Rebellion North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada... Memorial) |
1895 | Queen's Park, Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... |
||
| Sculpture of Oronhyatekha Oronhyatekha Oronhyatekha , , was a Mohawk physician, scholar, and a unique figure in the history of British colonialism... |
1899 | Temple Building Temple Building The Temple Building was one of the first skyscrapers built in the city of Toronto. It was erected in 1896 to house the world headquarters of the Independent Order of Foresters, which was a friendly society that acted as both a fraternal order and an important financial institution. The IOF was then... , Toronto |
Commissioned by Oronhyatekha and the Independent Order of Foresters to mark the opening of the Temple Building | |
| Old Soldier | 1903 | Victoria Memorial Square Victoria Memorial Square Victoria Memorial Square is a park and former cemetery in Toronto, Canada. Established in 1763 as the burial place for those affiliated with the nearby Fort York, it was the first cemetery to be used by European settlers in what would become the city of Toronto... , Toronto |
Commemorates the War of 1812 War of 1812 The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant... |
 |
| Sculpture of John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior... |
1903 | Queen's Park, Toronto | First Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution... |
|
| Sculpture of Sir Oliver Mowat Oliver Mowat Sir Oliver Mowat, was a Canadian politician, and the third Premier of Ontario from 1872 to 1896, making him the longest serving premier of that province and the 3rd longest in all of Canadian history... |
1905 | Queen's Park, Toronto | Third Premier of Ontario |  |
| Boer War Memorial Fountain | 1906 | Windsor, Ontario Windsor, Ontario Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor... |
||
| Sculpture of John Sandfield Macdonald John Sandfield Macdonald John Sandfield Macdonald, QC was the first Premier of the province of Ontario, one of the four founding provinces created at the confederation of Canada in 1867... |
1909 | Queen's Park, Toronto | First Premier of Ontario | |
| South African War Memorial South African War Memorial (Toronto) The South African War Memorial is a memorial located at University Avenue and Queen Street West in Toronto.Commissioned in 1910, largely as the result of the efforts of James Mason, and designed by Walter Seymour Allward to commemorate Canada's participation in the Boer War, it consists of three... |
1910 | University Avenue University Avenue (Toronto) University Avenue is a major north-south road in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At its north end, University Avenue is the site of the Ontario Legislative Building. The eight-lane wide street is the location for several hospitals, numerous office buildings, Osgoode Hall and the Four Seasons... , Toronto |
 |
|
| Sculpture of Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government.... and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet, KCMG was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada. He was born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807... |
1914 | Parliament Hill Parliament Hill Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural... , Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario... |
||
| Bell Telephone Memorial Bell Telephone Memorial The Bell Telephone Memorial is a monument commemorating the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1874 at his parent's home in Brantford, Ontario.- History :... |
1917 | Bell Memorial Gardens, Brantford, Ontario Brantford, Ontario Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent... |
Commemorates the invention of the telephone Invention of the telephone The invention of the telephone is the culmination of work done by many individuals, the history of which involves a collection of claims and counterclaims. The development of the modern telephone involved an array of lawsuits founded upon the patent claims of several individuals... by Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone.... in 1874 at his parent's home in Brantford, Ontario |
 |
| Veritas (Truth) | 1920 | Supreme Court of Canada Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions... , Ottawa |
Cast for the never finished memorial to King Edward VII, and found buried in 1969. Installed in front of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1970. | |
| Justicia (Justice) | 1920 | Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa | See Veritas, above | |
| Stratford Cenotaph | 1922 | Stratford, Ontario Stratford, Ontario Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was... |
||
| Citizens' War Memorial | 1929 | Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks... |
||
| Brant County War Memorial | 1933 | Brantford, Ontario | ||
| Canadian National Vimy Memorial Canadian National Vimy Memorial The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is a memorial site in France dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. It also serves as the place of commemoration for First World War Canadian soldiers killed or presumed dead in France who have no known... |
1936 | Vimy Ridge (near Vimy Vimy Vimy is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography and history:Vimy is a farming town, situated some north of Arras, at the junction of the D51 and the N17 roads.... , Pas-de-Calais), France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
||
| Bust of William Lyon Mackenzie William Lyon Mackenzie William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish born American and Canadian journalist, politician, and rebellion leader. He served as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada and was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.-Background and early years in Scotland, 1795–1820:Mackenzie was... |
1940 | Queen's Park, Toronto |  |
Legacy
The art of Walter Allward lives on in numerous substantial monument and designs in Canada and abroad. Many of his personal tools were bequeathed to his protégé Emanuel HahnEmanuel Hahn
Emanuel Otto Hahn was a German-born Canadian sculptor and coin designer. He taught and later married Elizabeth Wyn Wood. He co-founded and was the first president of the Sculptors' Society of Canada....
, who in turn gifted some to his protégé Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook
Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook
Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook, CM, O.Ont was a Canadian portrait sculptor, medal designer and liturgical artist...
. Today some of those tools are being used by Canadian sculptor Christian Cardell Corbet
Christian Cardell Corbet
Christian Cardell Corbet is a Canadian sculptor, painter and designer. He co-founded and was first President of the Canadian Portrait Academy.- Quotes :...
as gifted to him by his mentor Bradford Holbrook.
He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...
.
He is a character in Jane Urquhart
Jane Urquhart
Jane Urquhart, OC is a Canadian novelist and poet.-Biography:Born 200 miles north of Thunder Bay, Ontario in Little Longlac , Ontario, Jane Urquhart is the third of three children and the only daughter of Marian and Walter Carter, a prospector and mining engineer...
's book The Stone Carvers
The Stone Carvers
The Stone Carvers is a 2001 historical and World War I novel by the Canadian writer Jane Urquhart.-Plot introduction:The novel follows three generations of a Canadian family, starting with a wood carver who befriends an immigrant German priest as he founds a church in an isolated town in 19th...
.
External links
- Queen's University - Walter Allward Fonds
- Biography at the National Gallery, Canada
- The Sculptures on the Vimy Ridge Memorial
- Ontario Plaques - Walter Seymour Allward, R.C.A. 1876-1955
- Walter Seymour Allward fonds at Queen's University Archives
- Stone Bodies in the City, Tonya Davidson
- Bell Telephone Memorial