James Blomfield

James Blomfield
Born
James Jervis Bloomfield

1879
Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
Died1951
Toronto, Ontario
NationalityBritish-born Canadian
Educationstudied painting and engraving in Calgary, Alberta (1887, 1889); art education in England and Belgium (1894); Art Students League, New York
SpouseMary Augusta Diamond

James Jervis Blomfield (1879-1951) was an English-born Canadian artist and designer. He is best known for his design of the coat of arms of Vancouver and as a pioneer in the field of stained glass art in Canada, with an extensive body of works completed in British Columbia and Ontario, including the Beechwood Cemetery Mausoleum in Canada's national cemetery in Ottawa. He lived in Toronto for the last 30 years of his life.

Background

He was born James Alfred Bloomfield in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. The middle name he added from his mother's maiden name later in life when he also dropped the second 'o' in Bloomfield.[1] He was born deaf[2] and worked for a period of time as a junior draftsman.[3] before moving with his family to Canada, to Calgary, Alberta in 1887. In Calgary, he studied painting and engraving (1887, 1889).[3] His father Henry Bloomfield was an artist and engraver and the family lived in Calgary, then moved to New Westminster, British Columbia. There in 1890, Henry established the first art glass studio in British Columbia which he ran with his sons James and Charles, later moving the operation to Vancouver in 1899.[4] James Blomfield attracted the attention of Lord Aberdeen who paid for his art education in England and Belgium.[5]

Foundations & work

On his return to Canada, his career flourished with such commissions as Holy Trinity Cathedral, New Westminster,[6] St. Paul's Anglican Church in Vancouver, Gabriola, the home of Benjamin Tingley,[4] and the original Rogers Window at Government House in Victoria (destroyed by fire in 1957).[7]

Together with Robert McKay Fripp, S.M. Everleigh, and A. Woodroffe, in 1900 he co-founded the Arts and Crafts Association of Vancouver,[8] which later became the Studio Club (1904) and finally the British Columbia Society of Fine Arts (1908).[1]

Some time after the turn of the century, he moved to Washington State and later to Chicago where he became professor of design at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art. In 1918 he worked for the Christian Science Monitor as a staff writer.[5]

Final years

By 1922, he had removed to Toronto where he would spend his final years. He died after being struck by a motorist in downtown Toronto at the age of 72. He was married in 1903 to Mary Augusta Diamond of Belleville, Ontario, who predeceased him in 1930. They had no children. Their remains are interred at the Hamilton (now Bayview) Mausoleum[9] in Hamilton, Ontario; the stained glass windows of the mausoleum were designed by Blomfield in the 1920s.[4]

Recognition

In 1982, a plaque commemorating Blomfield was unveiled at the Hamilton Mausoleum.[4] There is a plaque on his former home at W 10th Ave & Columbia St, in Vancouver. Blomfield's name is included on the official list of potential Vancouver street names.[10] He was a member of the Ontario Society of Artists.

References

  1. ^ a b Vanderhill, Jason. "Illustrated Vancouver Volume Four: Who was James Jervis Blomfield?". Vancouver Is Awesome. Vancouver Is Awesome Inc. Retrieved 28 October 2012. Blomfield is frequently identified in auction literature as James Jerris Blomfield. The editor has communicated with Mr. Vanderhill who asserts that is incorrect and probably results from a transcription error where the 'v' in Jervis was mistaken for an 'r'. As noted in the text, the name comes from the artist's mother's maiden name.
  2. ^ "JAMES JERRIS BLOMFIELD OSA". Art Glass Studio and Antiques. Art Glass Studio and Antiques. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Blomfield, James, 1872-1951". Start your Research. Ontario Ministry of Government Services. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Davis, Chuck. "James Blomfield". The History of Metropolitan Vancouver. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  5. ^ a b MacDonald, Colin S. (1967). A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, vol. 1 (First ed.). Ottawa: Canadian Paperbacks Publishing. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  6. ^ See this discussion of the Masonic elements in this windows.
  7. ^ "The rogers Window". Government House. Office of the Lieutenant Governor of BC. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  8. ^ The Canadian Architect and Builder, Volume 13, Issue 5, Page 93, (1900)
  9. ^ Markey. "Our Heritage". Bay Gardens Funeral Home. Bay Gardens Funeral Home. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  10. ^ List of Potential Vancouver Street Names