Name/Title
Mural Sketch - Inner Harbour, Victoria [B.C.]Entry/Object ID
2022.04.02Description
Painting
This work depicts an historical view of the north-east Inner Harbour of Victoria populated with various sailing ships and a tugboat to the right centre foreground, with docks and buildings such as the landmark Customs House behind along the shoreline. The image is a complicated linear design depicted in muted greens, blues, greys and browns. The painting acknowledges, indeed salutes, Victoria's stature and history as a proud and important Canadian seaport.Type of Painting
Watercolour on paperArtwork Details
Subject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
A number of waterfront buildings are partially visible behind the ships and noteworthy is the Old Victoria Customs House on Wharf Street, shown with multiple brick stories, chimneys and a mansard roof. The building was one of two buildings erected in Victoria by the Dominion Government following B.C.'s entry into Confederation in 1871, and was completed in 1874, at the time when Victoria was the foremost commercial centre on Canada's Pacific Coast.
The Customs House became a focal point during the Klondike Gold Rush (1896-1899) as people came to obtain licences enabling them to pass through Yukon customs points, and marine traffic overall soared as miners came to purchase supplies on their way north. Overall, this gold rush brought an estimated 100,000 prospectors to the Klondike region of Yukon. The building's role during this time marked its final period of service as the city’s customs house and principal port before Vancouver took over this role.
In 1899 the Customs’ offices moved to a new structure and the building was converted into offices for the harbour master, and other federal departments. In 1952, the building came to house the headquarters of HMCS Malahat Naval Reserve and the structure became known as the Malahat Building. In the early 2000s, the building was again renovated to create office space for several firms.
The Old Victoria Customs House is the oldest federal building of its kind still standing in Western Canada, and survives as a rare example of a 19th Century Second Empire Federal Building that was designed to project the stability and permanence of the new nation.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Harry Heine, RSMA (1928-2004)Role
ArtistDate made
n.d.Notes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Harry Heine was a prolific artist, one of Canada's foremost maritime scene painters. He started his career as an artist with the Alberta government, later freelancing as an architectural illustrator and designer, later a director of Designs Canada Ltd.
Always painting, he then moved to Victoria, B.C. actively working as an artist and teaching for some forty years. He undertook many commissions such as murals for Expo ’86 in Vancouver. Among many honours, he was elected in 1980 to the Royal Society of Marine Artists, as the first and only Canadian member. He was a Vice President of the Canadian Society of Marine Artists and of the Federation of Canadian Artists. He was made an Honorary Alberta Artist in 1983 in recognition of his contribution to the Visual Arts, and an Honorary Citizen of the City of Victoria in 1985. He was also a member of the Northwest Watercolour Society.
Heine shared his techniques through demonstrations, workshops and classes throughout Western Canada and overseas as guest lecturer for P&O Lines’ Swan Hellenic Cruises. All of his children are also involved in the art and design communities, and were involved with exhibitions with their father, including major retrospectives at Victoria's Winchester Galleries in 2005 and 2007. His work is held in many public collections in Canada, the United States and England.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Signature, Date, InscriptionLocation
Signed and titled lower left:
HEINE / MURAL SKETCH - INNER HARBOUR / VICTORIA [B.C.]Transcription
Verso frame in pen:
Donated to the Club by Bob Evans [UCBC Member] DH Aug. 4, 2020Dimensions
Dimension Description
Visible imageHeight
33 cmWidth
72.4 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
Aug 4, 2020Notes
Donated to the Club by Bob Evans [UCBC Member] Aug. 4, 2020Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
By Harry Heine:
2020.02.01 Loches, France
2022.04.02 Mural Sketch, Inner Harbour, VictoriaCopyright
Notes
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.![Mural Sketch - Inner Harbour, Victoria [B.C.], n.d. Watercolour on paper by Harry Heine, RSMA (1928-2004)](https://d8e7jbdw4fu0e.cloudfront.net/5457/cce87730-c8dc-11ec-93f4-076fb1f41043-vUVFF3F.lg@2x.jpg)
