Emily Carr
Emily Carr (1871-1945) was a renowned Canadian painter and writer, celebrated for her distinctive depictions of the landscapes and Indigenous cultures of the Canadian Northwest. Born in Victoria, British Columbia, she received early art education at home and pursued formal training at various prestigious institutions, including the California School of Design and the Academie Colarossi in Paris. Carr's artwork is particularly noted for its vibrant representations of totemic art and the natural beauty of the region, and her paintings are housed in several notable galleries, including the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Despite facing personal hardships, including the loss of her parents at a young age and financial struggles, Carr was dedicated to her craft throughout her life. She found professional recognition later, with a significant solo exhibition at the National Gallery in Ottawa at age fifty-six. In addition to her visual art, Carr authored several autobiographical works, with her first book, *Klee Wyck*, achieving considerable acclaim and earning a Governor General's Award. Her writings offer insight into her life and the cultural landscape of Canada, although they have received mixed reviews regarding factual accuracy. Today, Carr is regarded as one of Canada's most important modern artists, and her legacy continues to influence and inspire discussions about art, culture, and identity.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Emily Carr
Painter
- Born: December 13, 1871
- Birthplace: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Died: March 2, 1945
Biography
Emily Carr was born on December 13, 1871, in Victoria, British Columbia, the daughter of Richard Carr, a prosperous merchant, and Emily Carr. She was educated at home until the age of seven, and then attended local primary and secondary schools in Victoria. Her family provided her with private art lessons as a child, but both her parents passed away when she was an adolescent, and the remainder of her upbringing was left to a strict older sister.
Carr’s interest in art and art education was lifelong. She attended the California School of Design in San Francisco from 1891 to 1895, the Westminster School of Art in London from 1899 to 1904, and the Academie Colarossi in Paris from 1910 to 1911. Her artwork continues to be displayed in many notable museums and galleries, including the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Carr’s primary legacy is her visual art, particularly her landscapes of the Canadian Northwest. Her paintings stand as a permanent record of Northwest Canada’s Indian totemic art. Her autobiographic writings, however, provide a fascinating look into her development as an artist and into Canadian life and culture, including Coastal Northwest Indian culture. Her talents as a painter spill over into her prose, which possesses a striking visual quality.
Professional success and recognition came to Carr late in her life. To support herself, she engaged in a variety of activities, teaching art in her hometown of Victoria, running a boarding- house, making pottery and carpets, and breeding sheepdogs. At age fifty-six, she had her first significant one-person art show in the National Gallery in Ottawa. This exhibition brought her into contact with other Canadian painters who accepted her warmly.
Her first book, Klee Wyck, was published in 1941, when Carr was already a mature woman and painter. It describes her 1898 trip to the Indian villages of Vancouver Island, and was a resounding success in Canada, helping to reinforce Carr’s growing reputation as a painter. The book received the Governor General’s Award for the year’s best Canadian nonfiction book. Four subsequent autobiographic volumes followed, and a significant body of other work has been published posthumously.
Carr’s memoirs have been widely praised for their candor, humor and vivid descriptions. They have also been criticized for factual inaccuracies. As she is now recognized as one of the most vital modern Canadian painters, her memoirs and diaries are important cultural assets and therefore hold a high rank among Canadian autobiographical writings.