Name/Title
Kerrisdale GroceryEntry/Object ID
2023.04.01Description
Print
Reproduction print (1989) after a black ink line drawing both by Raymond Chow (date unknown) of the Kerrisdale Grocery.
Depicted in black and white, this image provides a documentary record of the Kerrisdale Grocery, a local business in the Vancouver neighbourhood of the same name. Magee High School is shown to the right in the background, so the grocery was likely a popular destination with students, as well as nearby families.Type of Print
Reproduction printArtwork Details
Medium
Ink on paperSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
The Kerrisdale Grocery was located at West 49th Avenue and Maple Street next to Magee High School, both built in 1914. It is depicted as a substantial corner store that provided meat, fruits, vegetables and other products. This independent local store would have been historically important, likely representative of a first business of a new immigrant, and it appears that the grocery itself was built and likely connected to the older gabled house behind, where a working family could live. After 75 years of operation, the store burned down in 1989.
Kerrisdale is a neighbourhood located in Vancouver's south-west area, named in 1905 after an early resident’s family home in Scotland, “Kerrydale”, soon becoming known as Kerrisdale. In its formative times, British in character and demographics, its first immigrants were Irish. Notably, Kerrisdale experienced an influx of affluent immigrants from Hong Kong in the mid-1980s. Today, the neighbourhood remains largely a residential area, a mix of English-speaking and Chinese-speaking Canadians. Kerrisdale joined the City of Vancouver in 1929 when it amalgamated with Point Grey.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
UnknownRole
PrintmakerArtist
Raymond ChowRole
ArtistDate made
1989Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Vancouver, B.C., Raymond Chow is an accomplished Canadian artist, best known for detailed drawings and paintings of Canadian houses from across the country. Heis also a pianist, author and musical composer. Chow graduated from the University of British Columbia's (UBC) Art Education program in 1965, where he studies etching and portraiture.studied piano at the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music and earned an art teaching degree at UBC. After graduation he taught briefly, then deciding to focus full-time on his art. Of note, in the mid-1950s, as a teenager, Chow began his art career doing black ink drawings of Vancouver's wooden Victorian buildings.
Chow has opened a number of art galleries, and done a lot of travel doing drawings and paintings of historical subjects including cityscapes, and other subject matter. In 1978 Chow designed the Canadian Captain Cook Coins, and in 1983 he designed the Vancouver Symphony Show House cover. Using his artistic skills he has also supported numerous fundraising initiatives related to the arts, health and education such as for the Canadian Paraplegic Association, the William Bridge Elementary School and the Langley Fine Arts School. Chow’s work has been exhibited across Canada, in the United States and internationally, such as in Japan and London. Chow moved to Nova Scotia in 2016.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Date, Inscription, Signature, LabelLocation
Lower left printed: Raymond Chow © 1989
Signed lower right pencil: Raymond ChowTranscription
In-image: lower centre to left of main door in image, promo sign added:
Illegible...
Raymond Chow Artist
681-7930
In-image signage:
MEAT DEPT. - KERRISDALE GROCERY
QUALITY MEAT MARKET
Also, two round Coca Cola signs at either end of the store front above awnings
Also brief printed bio pasted verso original frame - see fileDimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
19 cmWidth
26 cmCopyright
Notes
Lower left printed: Raymond Chow © 1989
Images are provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the copyright holder. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to determine the copyright holder and to obtain permission(s) as needed.
