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The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colourʼs Royal Collection Project is a group of seventy-five contemporary Canadian watercolours held in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle, U.K. as part of the Royal Collection. They form the single largest Canadian presence within the collection.

The initial sixty piece collection was formed in 1985 as part of the Diamond Anniversary celebrations of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour [CSPWC]. Each watercolour in the collection was created by a different elected member of the Society. The paintings were unveiled December 5, 1985 in an exhibition at the MacDonald Gallery [now the John B. Aird Gallery] in the Ontario Legislative Buildings. They were later shown at Ontario House, King Charles Place, London, U.K. [13 March - 24 April 1986] where an official reception and handover to the Royal Collection took place on March 12, 1986. A second display of the collection at Ontario House took place in 1988.

The paintings are housed in the Print Room of the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. They form part of the Royal Collection of Drawings and Watercolours. A selection was on public display in the castle throughout 1986 and 1987.

In 2000 as part of the CSPWCʼs seventy-fifth anniversary celebrations a competition was held among elected members not represented in the original sixty piece collection to select fifteen additional works to add to the Windsor Castle holdings. This brought the group up to the symbolic]total of seventy-five.

The selected works were then exhibited at Torontoʼs OʼConnor Gallery and later at The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, site of the 1925 founding of the Society.

The watercolours were transported to the United Kingdom and exhibited by the Government of Canada in Canada House, Trafalgar Square, throughout December of 2001. His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, an Honourary Member of the Society, accepted the works at a reception hosted by the both the CSPWC and Jeremy Kinsman the Canadian High Commissioner to the U.K.

The final phase of this project will take place during the CSPWCʼs centennial year in 2025 when a competition will be held among elected members unrepresented in the Royal Collection. At that time twenty five watercolours will be selected and added to the holdings in the Royal Library.

Initial concept

As the 1985 “Diamond” or sixtieth anniversary of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour approached the Societyʼs executive decided to launch a series of commemorative events that would highlight the history and achievements of the organization. One suggestion was that a collection of watercolours by Society members be compiled and placed with a major national cultural body. It was thought that a juried collection of sixty works would be appropriate. This idea met with strong support and the proposal was presented to a number of institutions including Rideau Hall, The National Gallery of Canada, The Royal Ontario Museum, The Art Gallery of Ontario and several major university galleries.

The idea took on the name of the “Diamond Jubilee Collection” and it seemed to be a relatively straight forward project of identifying a host institution and then jurying and collecting sixty works. Sensibly, as it turned out, the original concept had envisioned small paintings in case the Society was asked to submit them in albums, portfolios or presentation cases.

In 1984 William Sherman, the CSPWCʼs President, asked Anthony J. Batten, one of its directors, to serve as Chairperson for the project.

The Royal Collection

Jurying Day for the CSPWC Royal Collection Project, Trinity College, Toronto. Summer of 2000. Left to Right: Diana Jervis-Reed (cultural attache Canada House, London) with Bill Sherman, Mary Ann Ludlam, Ray Cattell and Shirley Barrie (CSPWC Administrator), Anthony Batten, in the back, co-ordinated the project. .

In dialogue with the various Canadian institutions that had been approached it became obvious that there were an insurmountable number of obstacles that had to be overcome. Many foundations required that donations in kind be accompanied by substantial financial endowments something that a financially fragile arts organization could not contemplate. Several institutions wanted only part of the developing collection. Others did not want the CSPWC involved in the selection of its own collection. Still other public bodies never responded to the offer at all.

It became apparent that what had started as a gesture of good citizenship and positive recognition of the historic role that the Society had played in the history of Canadian visual arts was becoming a logistical quagmire. While this was happening a growing collection of submissions was accumulating.

While traveling Batten looked for some reading material and chanced upon a book on the history of the Royal Collection in which there was mention of several different Commonwealth countries and the objects that represented them among the diverse holdings of the Royal Family. Despite Canadaʼs unparalleled role within the Empire and Commonwealth he noted that there was no mention of his home country. Acting on intuition he wrote to the bookʼs author Sir Robin Macworth-Young who was also the Royal Librarian and proposed that the Diamond Jubilee Collection be presented to H.M. The Queen to commemorate the Societyʼs anniversary and to partly correct an obvious imbalance in the collection. On his return home a waiting letter informed him that should the CSPWC decide to offer the collection, Her Majesty The Queen would be delighted to accept it.

Since 1985 the Society has taken some criticism from individuals unfamiliar with the history of the endeavour for being unpatriotic and donating the collection to an institution outside the country. The CSPWC believes it responsibly placed the works in a major international art resource with impeccable conservation standards where they were and are available for study by scholars, for exhibition and loans. For all of the artists represented in the gift, even those represented in major Canadian museums, the opportunity to have a work enter the Royal Collections in perpetuity became a significant career marker.

The Project Chairperson commented on the delight that was felt when a year or so after the original Canadian negotiations had stalled two institutions contacted the Society inquiring if the possible gift of the collection was still on offer. The fact that the watercolours were by then at Windsor Castle was validation of the original concept and of the generosity of both the individual artists and the CSPWC.

Original 1985 collection and donation

A general call for entry went out to all elected members of the CSPWC early in 1984 and a jurying took place in the summer of 1985. The artists and works selected were:

Artists	Title of work	Royal Collection Inventory No.
Herbert J. Ariss	“Nude study, 1985”	RCIN 926161
E. Conyers Barker	“Overlooking Cookeʼs Bay, Lake Simcoe, Ontario”	RCIN 926162
Anthony J. Batten	“Day of rest, Bay St Lawrence, Nova Scotia”	RCIN 926163
John A. E. Bennett	“Stonehenge”	RCIN 926164
Sam Black	“Old Pals”	RCIN 926165
Harriet Manore Carter	“Strange Bed Fellows”	RCIN 926166
Ray Cattell	“Turn of the Wind Track”	RCIN 926167
Joanne Clarke	“Canadian Seasons 1”	RCIN 926168
Michael Cleary	“Muncho lake, British Columbia”	RCIN 926169
Elmer Dambergs	“The Local Royalty”	RCIN 926170
Anne MacIntosh Duff	“Garages In Winter”	RCIN 926171
Anne Marsh Evans	“06:30 hrs, Wyoming, Ontario”	RCIN 926172
James Evans	“Moorings, New Haven, Cape Breton”	RCIN 926173
Pat Fairhead	“Winter Pines at Moonstone #1”	RCIN 926174
Philippa Faulkner	“The Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia”	RCIN 926175
Joan Fedoroshyn	“Thunderstorm #2, 1984”	RCIN 926176
Mark Fletcher	“Portrait of Three Captains, Newfoundland”	RCIN 926177
Peter Goetz	“Window at Doon Pioneer Village”	RCIN 926178
Barbara L. Greene	“Spring River, 1985”	RCIN 926179
Julius Griffith	“The Empty Farmhouse, 1982”	RCIN 926180
B. Cogill Haworth	“Beaching Gear of the Stranraer War Plane, Esquimalt, B.C., 1943”	RCIN 926181
Peter Haworth	“The Forgotten, 1956”	RCIN 926182
Mel Heath	“Aberdeen School”	RCIN 926183
Barbara Roe Hicklin	“Canadaʼs Yukon, Whitehorse Airport”	RCIN 926184
Marjorie Hodgson	“Backyards, Alcorn Avenue, Toronto”	RCIN 926185
Jane Hunter	“Lichen Series #6”	RCIN 926186
Herzl Kashetsky	“Made in England”	RCIN 926187
Cynthia Kemerer	“On The Edge	RCIN 926188
Jean Klaassen	“Flowering Kale”	RCIN 926189
Brent Laycock	“Morning Light On The Rockies”	RCIN 926190
Lilian Laponen-Stephenson	“Plan To Evade Capture”	RCIN 926191
Mary Anne Ludlam	“$1.39 A Pound”	RCIN 926192
D. Helen Mackie	“Tipi Centre 1”	RCIN 926193
Doris McCarthy	“Sheds And Shore Junk, Lake Harbour, Baffin Island”	RCIN 926194
Janet Mitchell	“Whatʼs A Farm Doing So Close To Town?”	RCIN 926195
M. Greene Mitchell	“Chinese Supper, 1985”	RCIN 926196
June Montgomery	“Bear Mother And Child. (Frontlet with abalone decoration)”	RCIN 926197
Donald Neddeau	“Barachois Gaspesie, Quebec”	RCIN 926198
Tibor Nyilasi	“Rainy Day”	RCIN 926199
Will Ogilvy	“Winter Evening”	RCIN 926200
Robert Percival	“Plants In Window”	RCIN 926201
Marjorie Pigott	“How Simple Is Beauty”	RCIN 926202
Gery Puley	“Early Winter, Crawford Lake”	RCIN 926203
Ethel Raicus	“Ionic Scape”	RCIN 926204
Jack Reid	“The Red Boat”	RCIN 926205
Hugh Robertson	“Clouds Over The Gaspe Hills, Province Du Quebec”	RCIN 926206
Adeline Rockett	“Winter, A Country Road”	RCIN 926207
Laurine Sage	“Metamorphosis In Orange And Blue”	RCIN 926208
Marlis Saunders	“Ice Patterns #14”	RCIN 926209
William Sherman	“Home, Colourful Home”	RCIN 926210
Robert Sinclair	“Break”	RCIN 926211
Margaret L. Squire	“Evening Waters, Lake Huron”	RCIN 926212
Stephanie Quainton Steel	“Light In The Inlet, Brentwood, Vancouver Island, B.C.”	RCIN 926213
Bonnie Steinman	“A Small Still-Life”	RCIN 926214
Rudolph Stussi	“Looking In”	RCIN 926215
Osvald Timmas	“Simcoeside Track”	RCIN 926216
Brian Travers-Smith	“A Taste Of Salt”	RCIN 926217
John S. Walsh	“Chapel Of Notre Dame De Bon Secours, Montreal”	RCIN 926218
Ivan T. Wheale	“Pool Rocks, Key River”	RCIN 926219
Ruth Yamada	“Christmas Cactus”	RCIN 926220

2000 addition of fifteen works: CSPWC gift II

Following the procedures used in the initial jurying process a call for entries went out to all eligible members early in the 2000 anniversary year. A tremendous number of entries were presented for the jurying which took place in Trinity College Chapel, University of Toronto. The artists and works selected for this second phase of what was now known as the “Royal Collection project” were:

Artists	Title of work	Royal Collection Inventory No.
Barbara Augustine	“Bill”	RCIN 933762
Bonnie Brooks	“Suspension”	RCIN 933763
Pat Clemes	“Delphiniums”	RCIN 933764
Diana Dabinett	“Icebergs Off Newfoundland”	RCIN 933765
Ron Hazell	“A Canadian Moment”	RCIN 933766
Wendy Hoffmann	“The Red Canoe”	RCIN 933767
E. Jane Hunter	“Sunset And City Lights, Toronto”	RCIN 933768
Elizabeth Jaworski	“Mondays”	RCIN 933769
Linda Kemp	“Niagara Landscape”	RCIN 933770
Ross Monk	“Sunrise Reflections”	RCIN 933771
Jean Pederson	“Mercy”	RCIN 933772
Alice Reed	“Misty Morning”	RCIN 933773
Ruth Sawatzky	“Heirlooms Remembered”	RCIN 933774
Vivian Thierfelder	“Cobalt Blue”	RCIN 933775
Tom Young	“Standing Tall, Otter Lake”	RCIN 933776

Notes

CSPWC artists at Canada House, London, for presentation of Phase 2 of the Royal Collection Project to Prince Charles. Left to right: Neville Clarke (CSPWC President), Ross Monk, E. Jane Hunter, Ron Hazell, Ruth Sawatsky, Tom Young, Linda Kemp, Diana Dabinet, Jean Pederson, Vivian Thierfelder, Barbara Augustine, Anthony Batten (project chair), Bonnie Brooks and Wendy Hoffmann..

A condition of having the works accepted in perpetuity was that each artist assigned all copyright on their work to the Royal Collection. The works also had to conform to the size requirements of the Royal Library. The Royal Library at Windsor Castle is not open to the public. Individuals wishing to view the Canadian gift or other holdings must submit an application to the Royal Librarian.

Diana Jervis-Reed in her role as Cultural Attaché at Ontario House and later at Canada House, London, was a key figure in this project in all of its exhibition phases.

Following the retirement of Sir Robin Mackworth-Young the Royal Librarian, Oliver Everett, became the key contact person within the Royal Collection. The Hon. Lady Roberts, the current Royal Librarian since 2002, now fulfills that role.

Linda Kempʼs inclusion in the collection made her name an entry in the 20th Anniversary [2002] edition of the popular “Trivial Pursuit” board game.

“Having sixty of their paintings under my bed for much of the past year probably makes me eligible for a unique and bizarre footnote in the history of the Royal Collection!”. A comment made by A. J. Batten during the 2001 presentation to HRH The Prince of Wales.

Following the 2001 Canada House presentation HRH The Prince of Wales invited the assembled CSPWC members to Highgrove. Eleven members were able to attend and take part in a unique day-long encounter with Prince Charles and his own paintings in his noted country home.