Dorothy, 1925, circa 1935

Maud Varley, Vancouver (wife of the Artist)

Harrison Galleries, Vancouver

Bill Price, Calgary

Masters Gallery, Calgary

Private Collection

In painting this beautiful portrait of Dorothy, his eldest and only daughter in a family of boys, F. H. Varley was at the height of his powers. The painting of the pretty young girl, with her red cheeks and dress, is charmingly observed, with lively brushstrokes and bright colours. She looks as though the viewer could strike up a conversation with her, intent as she is on posing, her bright eyes pensively looking into the distance. Her modish hair cut in an up-to-date bob is that of a thoroughly modern flapper, but as the viewer can intuit, she is sweet- natured and gentle. In time, she married Clarence Burnham Sewell, an engineer on the British Columbia Ferries and in 1974, died of lung cancer. She was born in 1909.

The date given in the Varley inventory is around 1925; the date of 1936 on the label on the back is incorrect. Varley painted two portraits of Dorothy in Toronto, the other executed in 1923. Varley moved to Vancouver with his eldest son, John, in September 1926, and the rest of the family (including Dorothy) followed a month or two later. The move west occurred after the 1926 Group of Seven exhibition, which took place from May 7th to 31st, during which he included one of the Dorothy portraits as no. 115, probably the one painted in 1923. Varley’s later portraits, such as Vera of 1931 (National Gallery of Canada), have more stylized facial features and clothing patterns.

Varley’s wife Maud always kept this painting, no doubt happy with the good likeness of her child. She might have wished that Varley would spend more time on it and give it finishing touches. The family first lived in a large boathouse with accommodation above at the east end of Jericho Beach. In 1932, he rented a house on the banks of Lynn Creek in North Vancouver to use as a studio (today its address is 4395 Rice Lake Road), but it quickly became his permanent residence. When he left Vancouver in 1936, Maud moved into the house with her children. Christopher Varley, the artist’s grandson, remembers his grandmother keeping the painting wrapped in plastic behind the sink of the house. When she moved out, around 1962, Dorothy and her husband came to live there.

Varley’s ability to convey uniqueness while still maintaining directness and vitality is fully shown in this portrait. Varley was one of the great portrait painters of the twentieth century and Dorothy has the quality of genius. The young lady grows on the observer, gaining in presence over time. 

Maud sold the painting to Harrison Galleries in Vancouver, as a card in the Peter Varley Fonds in the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives records. It was owned by Bill Price (1927-2021), the star athlete of his day. He was a well-known baseball and basketball player, included in the semi-professional leagues of the time, was an Olympic basketball team alternate in 1956, and as a curler won the Canadian Briers in 1957 and 1958. He was also a golfer and was admitted to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and also to the University of Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. His business career was in the oil and gas industry.

As a lover of fine art, Price was part of the ownership group of Masters Gallery Incorporated in Calgary, early on and in time, became a partner. From him, the painting passed to Masters Gallery and from it to a private collection where it has been treasured until today. Its appearance on the market is remarkable for its rarity in today’s auction world.

We extend our thanks to Joan Murray, Canadian art historian, for contributing the preceding essay.