One of the paintings exhibited at the Victorian Artists' Society Annual Exhibition of Paintings in October 1911, was Lake Catani, Buffalo Mountains by John Ford Paterson (1). Lake Catani was part of Carlo's vision to make Mount Buffalo a year round tourist resort. Work in the area began in January 1908 on the road, which was engineered by Carlo, linking Porepunkah and Mount Buffalo. The road was completed in the October. Carlo and the Public Works Department also created a 23 hectare lake, often referred to as a skating lake, through the damming of the Eurobin Creek and the construction of a weir. In January 1911, this lake was named in honour of Carlo Catani at the suggestion of the Bright Shire Council in recognition of the work undertaken by Catani in opening up the mountain as a tourist resort. Other projects on Mt Buffalo included a golf course and more famously, the Chalet, which opened in August 1910. You can read more about Carlo and Mount Buffalo in our (2) Victorian Collections, story, here.
There are many postcards and photographs of Lake Catani, but very few paintings, so I was interested to 'discover' John Ford Paterson's painting, which was acquired by the Queensland Art Galley in November 1912 (3). The Hobart Mercury reported on this acquisition - Two years ago Mr. Paterson made many sketches of the district, and in his finished work conveys a fine impression of the lake. The scheme is grey, with the background of hills and gum forest reflected on the water. A group of cattle is shown in the middle distance. The whole composition and colour scheme are in harmony, and thoroughly characteristic of the painter's final methods. This picture has a special interest as being the last important work painted by him (4).
John Ford Paterson was born in Dundee in Scotland in 1851 and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy Schools in Edinburgh. He came to Melbourne in 1872, returned to Scotland three years later, where he remained until 1884; when he then came back to Melbourne. He died suddenly at the age of 62, in July 1912 (5). In 1929, the Brisbane Courier wrote this about John Ford Paterson - There was one thing which Mr. Paterson perhaps suggested better than any other of our artists, and that was the mystery of the bush. He has a definite place among those who have worthily interpreted the character of the landscape (6).
In November 1932, the Grosvenor Gallery in Melbourne held a memorial exhibition of John Ford Paterson's paintings. Arthur Streeton reviewed it for The Argus and he described the Lake Catani painting as another rare expression of his gems (7). I am not sure if the word should have been genius and not gems and it was a misprint by the paper, either way, it is high praise from Arthur Streeton.
John was the brother of Charles Stewart Paterson of the firm Paterson Bros, which later monopolized the decoration of wealthy homes and such public buildings as Government House, Melbourne Town Hall, the Parliamentary Library and the Prahran Public Library. Another brother was the artist, Hugh Paterson, who was the father of Esther Ford and Betty Ford, who were also artists. His sister, Mary, was the mother of Louis Esson, the poet and dramatist (8).
I have found three other newspaper reports of paintings of Lake Catani - Lake Catani, Mount Buffalo, Victoria a water colour by Mrs W. G. Torr, exhibited at her solo show at the Society of Arts Gallery in Adelaide in June 1921 (9); Frost and Snow on Lake Catani, by water colourist and printmaker, Elsie Barlow, exhibited with the Victorian Artists' Society in April 1926 (10) and oil painting, Lake Catani, by William Rowell, exhibited in 1945 (11).
Mrs W. G. Torr was Mary Frances Torr. Mary was born in Brighton in Melbourne in 1857 to John and Ann (nee Creswell) Walter. She married David Buchan in 1886, who died in 1891. In 1912 she married William George Torr (12) who had established Old Oxford House in Adelaide in 1909 as a Methodist Training College. He was also a noted collector of shells (13). A report of the 1921 exhibition, where the Lake Catani painting was displayed said that the list [of sold paintings] is a sufficient indication of Mrs. Torr's versatility, and of the attractive nature of her pictures. She is well known as an exhibitor at the annual displays of the Society of Arts, a good colourist with an unfailing eye for the picturesque (14). Mary exhibited at the Society of Arts show in September 1925 and the Adelaide Register reported that Mrs. W. G. Torr's exhibits constitute an agreeable show, and her watercolours reveal an intimate communion with Nature out of doors (15). In 1928 she donated two paintings to decorate Old Oxford House or as it was reported they were given two choice paintings from Mrs. W. G. Torr. Mrs. Torr is well to the front among artists, consequently her contributions are worthy of a place in the best art gallery in the State (16). I can't find any references to Mary practising as an artist as Mary Walter or Mary Buchan. Mary died in Brighton in Adelaide at the age of 80 in 1937 (17).
Elsie Frederica Barlow was born in Emerald Hill (South Melbourne) in 1876 to Sidney and Charlotte (nee Hemsley) Hake. She attended Faireleight Girls School (18) in St Kilda where she was taught art by Jane Sutherland (19). Elsie later attended School of Design at the National Gallery in Melbourne (20) and she was a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors (21). Elsie was instrumental in establishing the Castlemaine Art Gallery in 1913. She was living in Castlemaine as her husband, Arthur, was the police magistrate in the area and after exhibiting some of her work, she formed the committee to establish a permanent gallery in the town (22). Elsie died in 1948 in Mentone.
William Rowell was the acting head of the National Gallery art school in Melbourne and died in 1946, aged 48 (23).
Where are these three paintings now? Mary Torr's painting was one of the works sold at her 1921 exhibiton, but that is all I can tell you.
Footnotes
(1) The Age October 14, 1911, see here.
(3) Leader November 30, 1912, see here.
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