Golf—Canadian Club (The Club's The Thing), 1898

Beam Canada Inc. (Canadian Club) through acquisition by Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., Walkerville/Windsor

Michael Flannery and Richard Leech, Golf Through the Ages: 600 Years of Golfing Art, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2004, reproduced on the inside front cover

Born in Montreal, Henry Sandham first exhibited at the Art Association of Montreal in 1865. He was employed by the photographer William Notman from 1864, becoming a partner in Notman & Sandham from 1877 to 1882. That same year, 1877, he was commissioned to prepare illustrations on Canadian subjects for the American periodical Scribner’s Monthly, for which he would also illustrate four Canadian articles by George Munro Grant in 1880. While active as a photographer and illustrator, Sandham also exhibited with Montreal’s Society of Canadian Artists (Art Association of Montreal) from 1868, with the Ontario Society of Artists from 1874, and was appointed a charter member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880. Shortly thereafter, Sandham moved to Boston, but continued to be a prolific illustrator of articles on both Canadian and American subjects. He built a successful career as an illustrator for major publications such as Scribner’s Magazine and Harper’s Weekly. His work often depicted historical narratives with a strong sense of storytelling, careful attention to detail, and an academic approach to composition. Today, Sandham is remembered as part of a generation of artists who bridged fine art and illustration, helping to popularize historical subjects through widely circulated prints and magazines.

Sandham painted Golf—Canadian Club (The Club's The Thing) for the Canadian Club Brand Centre in Walkerville, Ontario. !e building opened in 1894 as founder Hiram Walker’s office and the headquarters of Canadian Club Whisky. The elaborate brick-and-terra cotta building included an indoor swimming pool, a basement speakeasy, and a wood-panelled boardroom showcasing an art collection. Sandham’s painting was likely commissioned by Hiram Walker for the company headquarters shortly after it was built, and it was completed in 1898, just one year before Walker’s death. In the festive summer scene at a golf club, likely Algonquin Golf Course in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where Walker had a rambling estate, we see a Canadian Club labelled wooden crate stowed beneath the serving table. The watercolour painting is classic Sandham, with attention to detail and a strong narrative, recalling his training in illustration. A photogravure of the watercolour was printed by Goupil & Co. of Paris, acting as an advertisement for Canadian Club Whisky.

Cowley Abbott is honoured to be offering the Canadian Club Brand Centre art collection, reflecting an important part of Windsor’s and Canada’s history. 

Please click here for additional information on the Collection of Beam Canada (Canadian Club).