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Mabel Cawthra
Mabel Cawthra Adamson (1871–1943) was a Canadian painter and decorator, who was active in the Arts and Crafts movement in Toronto.
Mabel Cawthra was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1871. The Cawthra family were wealthy Canadian merchants, described by her son Anthony Adamson as the "Astors of Upper Canada". They owned a huge amount of property in the western part of Toronto. She attended the Victorian Era Ball on 28 December 1897 hosted by the Governor General and the Countess of Aberdeen at the new Militia Armory in Toronto. The ball celebrated Queen Victoria's diamond jubiliee, and proceeds went to the Victorian Order of Nurses. Mabel dressed as Madame Recamier, as depicted in a portrait by Jacques-Louis David. She married Agar Adamson, also from a patrician Upper Canada family, on 15 November 1899.
Soon after their marriage Agar Adamson was sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to serve with the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry. Adamson was anxious to serve in the Second Boer War (1899–1902). In March 1900 he used his connections to obtain a position with Lord Strathcona's Horse. He reached South Africa early in June 1900.
After seeing action, Adamson fell ill and was sent as an invalid first to England, then in March 1901 to Canada. He made another attempt to see action, returning to South Africa in 1902, but the war had ended when he arrived.
Mabel became involved with the Arts and Crafts movement in England. In 1902–1903 she studied at Charles Robert Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts in Chipping Campden in the Cotswalds. The school was known for enamel and metal working. It was also known for woodcarving and cabinetmaking, but Mabel probably focused on silversmithing, jewelry and enameling.
Mabel Cawthra Adamson became the first president of the Society of Arts and Crafts of Canada in 1903 after she returned from England. The vice president was George Agnew Reid, but more than half the members were women. The goals were "the encouragement of original design and its individual expression, to promote this object by holding Exhibitions of original Canadian work, the names of the designer and executant being always given; by occasional loan exhibits; by lectures; and by rendering the literature on the subject of handicraft accessible to those who are interested.
The first exhibition of the Society of Arts and Crafts of Canada was held at the Art Gallery on King Street in 1904. Fifteen of Mabel Adamson's pieces were exhibited, including a necklace, pendant and brooch.
Mabel founded the Canadian franchise of the Thornton-Smith Company, a British interior design firm, in 1905. The Thornton-Smith Company was headquartered at The Thornton-Smith Building, an award-winning Neoclassical building on Toronto's Yonge Street. Agar Adamson was made nominal head of the franchise. The W & E Thornton-Smith Company decorated several theaters and churches in Toronto.
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Mabel Cawthra
Mabel Cawthra Adamson (1871–1943) was a Canadian painter and decorator, who was active in the Arts and Crafts movement in Toronto.
Mabel Cawthra was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1871. The Cawthra family were wealthy Canadian merchants, described by her son Anthony Adamson as the "Astors of Upper Canada". They owned a huge amount of property in the western part of Toronto. She attended the Victorian Era Ball on 28 December 1897 hosted by the Governor General and the Countess of Aberdeen at the new Militia Armory in Toronto. The ball celebrated Queen Victoria's diamond jubiliee, and proceeds went to the Victorian Order of Nurses. Mabel dressed as Madame Recamier, as depicted in a portrait by Jacques-Louis David. She married Agar Adamson, also from a patrician Upper Canada family, on 15 November 1899.
Soon after their marriage Agar Adamson was sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to serve with the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry. Adamson was anxious to serve in the Second Boer War (1899–1902). In March 1900 he used his connections to obtain a position with Lord Strathcona's Horse. He reached South Africa early in June 1900.
After seeing action, Adamson fell ill and was sent as an invalid first to England, then in March 1901 to Canada. He made another attempt to see action, returning to South Africa in 1902, but the war had ended when he arrived.
Mabel became involved with the Arts and Crafts movement in England. In 1902–1903 she studied at Charles Robert Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts in Chipping Campden in the Cotswalds. The school was known for enamel and metal working. It was also known for woodcarving and cabinetmaking, but Mabel probably focused on silversmithing, jewelry and enameling.
Mabel Cawthra Adamson became the first president of the Society of Arts and Crafts of Canada in 1903 after she returned from England. The vice president was George Agnew Reid, but more than half the members were women. The goals were "the encouragement of original design and its individual expression, to promote this object by holding Exhibitions of original Canadian work, the names of the designer and executant being always given; by occasional loan exhibits; by lectures; and by rendering the literature on the subject of handicraft accessible to those who are interested.
The first exhibition of the Society of Arts and Crafts of Canada was held at the Art Gallery on King Street in 1904. Fifteen of Mabel Adamson's pieces were exhibited, including a necklace, pendant and brooch.
Mabel founded the Canadian franchise of the Thornton-Smith Company, a British interior design firm, in 1905. The Thornton-Smith Company was headquartered at The Thornton-Smith Building, an award-winning Neoclassical building on Toronto's Yonge Street. Agar Adamson was made nominal head of the franchise. The W & E Thornton-Smith Company decorated several theaters and churches in Toronto.