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The Union Canal Etching by William Munro 1922 |
Brick Barges, Old Edinburgh Canal
No.38 from a limited edition of 40 prints
© Reproduced by courtesy of Edinburgh City Libraries and Information Services - See acknowledgements below.
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Comment 1. Peter Stubbs Edinburgh |
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Acknowledgements Thank you to Diana Webster for sending me a copy of this etching and for allowing me to reproduce it on the EdinPhoto web site. |
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The Artist Thank you, also, to Neil Ogg, National Galleries of Scotland, for providing a little information below about the artist: 1. He is believed to be William Munro, an artist/engraver brought up and trained in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. ** ** NO! PLEASE ALSO SEE COMMENT 2 BELOW - Peter Stubbs
2. He
lived 1895-1927 and was mainly known for his landscapes of the
Western Highlands.
BUT
RSA
Neil believes that the artist is
likely to be the same person as a William D Munro who exhibited a
number of works at the Royal Scottish Academy, including a
painting of Fraserburgh in 1924, and many views of and around
Edinburgh between 1919 and 1929 (those at the end of this period
presumably having been exhibited posthumously). Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: May 20, 2015 |
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Comment 2. Helen Oliver Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland |
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Acknowledgements Thank you to Helen Oliver who wrote: |
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William Munro Etching "I came across the etching, at te top of this page, of 'Barges on The Union Canal' by William Munro. William Munro was my grandfather. The information you have about where he was brought up and trained (in Comment 1 above) is incorrect. Please see below. Birth and Death "William Munro was born 1895 in Leith. He died on 1 Jan 1927 in Fraserburgh, a very tragic story. At that time, he was the Art Master at Fraserburgh Academy." Edinburgh College of Art "He won several prizes as a youngster in competitions run in local papers. He studied at Edinburgh College of Art. I think this was after he returned from the 1st World War where he served in the Cameron Highlanders." RSA "William Munro exhibited in the RSA several times between 1919 and 1929, the last two times, posthumously. The Information about the RSA that you have in Comment 1 above is correct. I've seen a copy of a page in the book: 'The Royal Scottish Academy Exhibitors 1826-1990 and that has a middle initial 'D'." Family History "I am a very keen family historian so have looked at all official documents relating to him, and found that he never had a middle name. His Munro line goes back into the 1700's with his namesake serving at Waterloo. His mother’s line goes back to 1280, as we are descendants of the Clan McRae." 1922 Group "William was part of the '1922 Group' which held various exhibitions around Edinburgh, but for some reason he is not mentioned on any web sites about the '1922 Group' that I've seen. I have lots of newspaper cutting about William. Mostly, they are about exhibitions and awards that he won, but unfortunately these cuttings are not all dated. In 1922 he was awarded the Chalmers-Jervice Prize for 'Painting from Life' by the Royal Scottish Academy." William Crozier William Munro was a very close friend of William Crozier Sen. who used to visit him in Fraserburgh. Several of Crozier's works stem from that time. We have several Crozier works in the family. There is a drawing by Crozier of a gentleman playing a cello, which is thought to be my grandfather. Comparing it to images that we have of my grandfather, I am sure it is him." Paintings "We have several of William Munro's paintings still in the family and my sister has his etchings, including No.25, the etching of the Union Canal. In the past, we've tried to locate some of his other works. There is said to be a large painting of the Union Canal that hung in the Board Room of a brewery in Edinburgh but as yet I've not been able to find anything about it. I'd really like to know if there are any other of his paintings or etching that we have not seen. Helen Oliver, Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland: 17 January 2016 (3 emails) |