In 1899, at age 27, Emily Carr travelled to London to attend art school.
She spent almost five years in England, and in this time her life
completely changed. She returned to Canada in 1904 a mature woman, eyes
widened from living abroad, chastened because of ill health and
technically proficient as an artist. Historian Kathryn Bridge takes a
fresh look at Emily Carr's time in England. She reveals new evidence
that fills in many of the gaps in our knowledge of this important phase
of Carr's life, and she documents important connections with people that
the artist maintained throughout her life. She illustrates her findings
with historical photographs and Carr's own sketches, paintings and funny
books, some never published before. Altogether, this book gives readers
an entertaining second look into a pivotal time in the life of one of
Canada's most famous artists. Three of Emily Carr's funny books are
included in this volume: A London Student Sojourn, in which Carr makes
fun of life in Mrs Dodd's Guest House, where she stayed while attending
the Westminster School of Art. Kendal & I, recalling the day she and her
friend Hannah Kendall attempted in vain to watch the funeral procession
of Queen Victoria. The Olsson Student, a comical look at a painting
excursion into the woods during her art-school days in St Ives,
Cornwall.
