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Throughout his life Watson remained conscious of being a descendant of pioneers. He campaigned to save the Waterloo County woodlands that he had preserved in his landscapes. Due to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 in which he lost his savings, he was forced to hand over many works from his personal collection to the local savings & loans firm, which held them for security and then tried to sell the paintings itself. In 1882, while touring Canada, Oscar Wilde first noted the similarity between Watson and Constable, dubbing him the "Canadian Constable" due to the similarity between Watson's work and of the great English landscape painter. There may have been letters between the two men which could be in a private collection or lost.
A small village founded in the 1830s at the junction of Schneider's Creek and the Grand River, Doon's earliest documented population was 150 in the 1871 census. Watson descended from German Mennonite settlers who arrived in Ontario in the early 19th century. His father, a mill and factory owner, died in 1861 when Watson was six years old. Following Ransford's death, the family's only source of income was Susan's work as a seamstress. Ransford left behind a library of books that Watson studied from and influenced his early drawings. He sought the advice of Thomas Mower Martin in Toronto, and moved there in 1874.
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Many people were quietly ushered into the dimly lit vestibule of the fabled artist’s home.
Revealing what looked like a modernized child’s arts and craft daycare centre. “Phoebe” visits so often that employees have settled on using her first name. They believe she just wants to be a part of the daily upkeep of the gallery. A psychic soiree of sorts was set to begin at the purportedly haunted Homer Watson House.
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He copied works at the Toronto Normal School and was mainly self-taught, but met other artists in Toronto (e.g., Lucius O'Brien) while working part-time at the Notman-Fraser photography studio. He has been characterized as the painter who first painted Canada as Canada, rather than as a pastiche of European painting. He was a member and president (1918–1922) of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, as well as a founding member and first president (1907–1911) of the Canadian Art Club.
Without ever having seen Barbizon,” referring to the French artists who had worked in and around the village of that name. Constable and the Barbizon painters were highly popular with North American and European audiences, and Wilde’s comments gave Watson’s career another boost. The two men did not meet in person until Watson’s first sojourn in Britain a few years later. In the meantime, however, spurred by his admiration of Flitting Shadows, Wilde commissioned Watson to make paintings for himself and for two American acquaintances. Homer Ransford Watson (1855–1936) has been characterized as someone who, in the nineteenth century, first portrayed the surrounding landscape as specifically Canadian, rather than as a pastiche of European influences. His art documents the centrality of the pioneer legacy to Ontario’s sense of historical identity and crucially emphasizes the importance of environmentalist approaches to the landscape.
Winslow Homer vintage print 1874 New York Charities-St Barnabas House
As a gift for Queen Victoria, Watson was able to purchase the home and its land in 1883. By 1893 he had added a studio, featuring a frieze displaying the names and small paintings inspired by European artists he admired. The year 1906 saw more changes to the house, when a gallery was added to display Watson’s art.
His many academic achievementsincluded a Doctor of Law, two graduate degrees and a PhD from Harvard. He is the one and only prime minister to have attained a doctorate of philosophy. Inside the doorway were a number of hostesses greeting paranormal enthusiasts as they entered. I was ushere into Watson’s studio room where a story was told to me about Phoebe Amelia Watson who regularly visits the gallery, despite her death over 60 years ago. The house at 1754 Old Mill Road was built by the Ferrie family, affluent industrialists from Scotland. Adam Ferrie was instrumental in developing the area known as Doon, building a stone mill, a distillery, a store, a cooperage and several homes.
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“There can be no doubt whatsoever that the persons I have been talking with were the loved ones and others I have known and who have passed away. Afraid to let information about his spiritual beliefs get out to the public forum and potentially wreak havoc on his professional life, King kept these beliefs very private. William Lyon McKenzie King was the longest serving prime minister in Canadian history and was a professional academic who attained five degrees in his life—a man of high status and decree.
Many of Watson's works are still on display at his old house, which he and his sister had transformed into a small art gallery. Homer Watson's letters, his unpublished manuscripts, and his paintings, drawings, and prints document the issues that most interested him as an artist. Of his concerns, the commemoration of southern Ontario's pioneers and early settlers and the visual expression of Canadian regional and national identities locate Watson firmly within the milieu of many of his fellow artists of the time. In addition to these priorities, his dedication to safeguarding the natural environment was exceptional and far-sighted.
In the past the task of organizing international exhibitions of Canadian art had fallen to the RCA, and the academy was furious about the change. In 1923 its executive and many of its other members decided to boycott the 1924 exhibition. The decision was announced in a letter published in newspapers, above the signatures of thirty-one members, including recently retired president Homer Watson. Techniques, just as the structure and goals of the Canadian Academy largely paralleled those of Britain’s Royal Academy of Arts. The Homer Watson House & Gallery represents both the industrial and the artistic heritage of the village of Lower Doon. The original house, built in the 1830's in the Scottish Gothic style of architecture, was part of an industrial complex constructed by Adam Ferrie Jr.
It was originally thought that Adam built this house in 1834, however no archival information has been located to support this date. It is possible that the house was built by his brother Robert Ferrie around 1850, after Adam’s death. Robert Ferrie also donated the land for the Presbyterian church next door and set up a Post Office. From humble beginnings, Homer Watson House & Gallery has been the host to many remarkable artists. Delivery time is estimated using our proprietary method which is based on the buyer's proximity to the item location, the shipping service selected, the seller's shipping history, and other factors. Watson spends part of her time in the 12-story building at the corner of Lexington Ave.
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